Real Good Man
by LauRa-ReaDinG-XoX
Summary: It was like they were never present but her mind knew better, the series of events rolling through her like a thunderstorm along with the grime that tinted her soul. The aim to continue with life without a hint of change, that couldn't be that hard right?
1. Transition

_**AN: Thought I would give a Tig/OC story a shot as he is one of my favourite. Heads up, I'm an Aussie and the story doesn't really follow any guidelines from the TV show, you'll realise the story is fast pace :) **_

**::::**

_Girl you've never known no one like me__  
__Up there in your high society__  
__They might tell you I'm no good__  
__Girl they need to understand__  
__Just who I am__  
__I may be a real bad boy__  
__But baby I'm a real good man_

_-Real Good Man, Tim McGraw_

_**~ Transition ~**_

Her work shoes made a slight tap on the pavement as she made her way towards the side of the hospital building with the street light giving some assurance in the dark night. Her cold breath swirled in front of her making a shiver run through her body as she rubbed her hands against her arms for friction. It was a muffled sound that made her stop mid stride, her instinct to flight flickered on, something stopped her from running to her car and made her head in the opposite direction, away from her car and towards the sound.

It was the sight before her that caused her to still. The gun against the dark haired woman's head, she thought about turning back to find help but here was a chance for anything to happen in those short moments, she couldn't allow that. Checking her surroundings her eyes caught of a metal rack that she saw the Gardner use earlier that day.

The metal rack felt odd in her hands as she continued towards the man with it wrapped between her hands, her knuckles turning white as she silently approached the man roughing up the woman. She watched as he pushed the woman to the ground, giving her an opening. Without a rational thought she swung the rack like a bat hitting the side of the man's head knocking him down to the pavement. He didn't move like she excepted, instead a pool of red appeared from under his head.

"Are you alright?" Her eyes flickered to the woman; she almost found it humorous that the woman was asking about her health. She could only nod noticing her shaky hands. "We've got to get it cleaned up." She couldn't believe the woman words as she opened the boot of her car pulling out a tarp. "Can you help?" Putting the rack beside the man, she unfolded the tarp next to the limp body trying to not think about what they were doing. "You take the feet." She followed the instructions feeling numb and as she took hold of the steal cap boots to move the limp body onto the tarp. They wrapped the body up as if it was a present before lifting it into the boot of the car and adding the rack. The woman bent down on her knees and started to wash away the evidence on the ground with a rag before grabbing the rack and stuffing it in the tarp. "Get in."

"Pardon?" The woman finally stopped moving with the car door open.

Please get in." She frowned at the woman and suddenly realized that the woman was just barely holding together as herself, the slight shake in her voice gave it away. Following her lead she sat in the front passage seat grabbing onto her handbag like a lifeline.

It wasn't until they were on the road that someone broke the rumble of the car engine. "Tara Knowles."

"Rita Mathews." Her stomach rolled around in circles as they drove through town, she didn't want to be caught by the police _or_ locked up in jail. She glanced around the car and was going to compliment the model when the black hood shocked her still, the reaper looking back at her on the back seat- She had never meet club members but she had heard plenty of stories around town.

She constantly wiped her hands on her jeans as they pulled into the Teller-Morrow garage. For a Thursday night everything seemed calm, nothing like the rumours. She should have known better than to believe rumours though one can never be careful. Tara didn't waste any time getting out of the car; she had an air of control around her as she started to head towards the club. Rita was tempted to grab a taxi and get the hell out of this place but something told her that these Sons would have no problem hunting her down. She continued watching Tara walk across the parking lot when the realisation that she was sitting in a car with a body in the boot, grabbing her handbag she didn't waste any time catching up with Tara. She tried to ignore the reaper on the door as they went through and it wasn't hard as an awful smell filled her nose making her un eased stomach twist further. "What's wrong?" She wouldn't have guessed anything was wrong with Tara but this blonde man could somehow read her.

"A guy attacked me in the parking lot at work." The blonde was already out of his seat before she could finish.

"You alright?"

"Thanks to Rita." Tara nodded her head in Rita's direction turning the attention to her which made her hands sweat to another level- what were they going to do when they found out the rest of the story? Report her to the cops? She stomach twisted again making her clamp her mouth shut at the bile that wanted to rise. "He's in the boot." She was waiting for the outburst but nothing happened as the Sons stayed calm.

"We'll discuss the details later." He put one hand on her cheek before turning back to Rita. "Jax, Vice President." Her shaky hand shook his; he gave her a smile trying to ease the nerves he saw within her. "I'm in debt to you for saving my Old Lady." She nodded her head not sure she could trust her voice. "Chibs here will look after you." he nodded his head to the man behind the bar. Jax didn't leave her much choice as himself and a couple of guys walked out to the parking lot with Tara.

"Ya want a drink sweetheart?" She nodded her head as she made her way over to the bar, she could do with a warm cup of coffee. Her eyebrows rose at the shot placed in front of her. "It'll help." he made it sound like he had been in this situation a hundred times over.

"Can I use the bathroom?" The steadiness of her voice surprised her as she could feel two sets of eyes on her back.

"Down the hall, first on the right." Rita kept her head down as she made her way to the bathroom. The situation she was in seemed alien, like she wasn't really in her own body. She stepped into the bathroom, leaned her hands on the basin trying to even out her breathing as she recounted the events that occurred that evening. She was ready to go home to her quiet house and make herself a quick dinner but the thought of food set her stomach off once again.

"You ready to hit home?" Her head snapped up to the curly brown haired man leaning in the doorway, he seemed relax but she could tell that he was on guard. "Tara's waiting for ya." She eyed the man before making her way back out to the bar- all she wanted was to go home and sleep, well that is until her next shift.

Tara moved away from Jax once she entered the room. Rita was slightly surprised at the match, with Tara obviously being highly educated while Jax is a member of a motorcycle gang. The pairing was strange to say the least but she didn't comment, it wasn't her business too. "We'll head off if you're ready." With a jerky nod from Rita, Tara started for the doorway and other woman was glad that none of the men stopped her. She really didn't know how long the adrenaline running through her body would keep reality from setting in.

She watched the gray car pull away from her house; it wasn't anything close to the black vehicle that Tara usually droved but Rita couldn't let her thoughts drift to where the woman's car was. She never wanted to see that vehicle again- tonight was a one time only thing, like a one night stand. It was done and dusted; now life would continue as usual.

Rita walked up to the doorway, the sound of the TV a reminder to her that the night wasn't over. Unlocking the front door, she went down the hallway leaning against the doorway. Her brother was asleep on the couch, the light of the TV shined across his battered face, the scars seemed less disturbing in the dark than the light of day. He may have not come away unharmed physically and mentally but she was thankful every day that he had returned to her- her last connection to family.

Stepping into the room, she knelt beside him stroking the hair from his face. The burn scar affected the left side of his body- it travelled shoulder to neck, neck to his ear leaving a large patch of naked skin where there should be dark hair and the scar edged to the corner of his mouth making his smile seem lope sided. "Luke, Luke let's get you to bed." His eyes flickered open taking in his surroundings, she knew his dream hadn't been peaceful. "You'll have a headache by morning." She referred to his neck resting against the arm of the couch. "Come on." Rita pulled him up and he silently followed down the hallway, she knew he wasn't in the right frame of mind to want to be chatting. Luke was the eldest and had a towering frame, it was times like this as her head barely reached his chest as she supported him, that she realised how vulnerable he could be.

After she got him settled into bed and pulled his blanket up to cover him, she quietly whispered, "Good night Luke."

"Night," his voice faintly carried across the room before she closed the door, she knew by the morning he would be back to same old Luke with the darkness at bay.

...

Rita walked into the kitchen ready for work; she smiled at Luke sitting at the table with a black coffee in hand and tired eyes. "How's that hangover going?"

"Shithouse." The smile only grew at his answer as she moved to the sink. "I'm taking it you won't have time to make a big greasy breakfast for your brother." To confirm this she raised the travel mug she was holding, as she had slept through her alarm.

"You could always go to the local diner." Luke shrugged his shoulders and she knew that meant a clear 'no', it would be too crowd for his liking. "I'll bring some pizza home tonight." After filling the mug up with coffee, she kissed Luke on the cheek and headed for the door.

"Thanks." He yelled down the hallway- Luke meant it in more ways than one and knew his sister would never fully grasp how grateful he felt.

"The lawns!" She shouted out to him as she closed the front door before getting a response but she knew a groan would have sounded from him and the job still won't be done when she gets home- he hardly left the company of the house.

It wasn't until she was pulling into the parking lot of the hospital that last night's events made her heart pick up and cause her to almost spill her coffee over her uniform. She managed to park the car as far as possible from the area and rested her shaky hands against the steering wheel, breathing in and out. This morning had seemed like every other, she appeared and felt almost the same though she now had blood on her hands, hands that wouldn't stop shaking. Checking the clock on the dash, she noticed that she really needed to get to work and pushed last night's events to the back of her mind for next time she was alone, she took a measured sip of her sweet coffee, and got out of the car.

The hospital was in no rush, the usual Friday show; she simply got to ease around the rooms checking in on one of their short-term patients. If she admitted to herself, it was one of her favourite things about her job as a nurse; she got to meet new people every day whether they were elderly or youngsters. "Morning Mrs. Dwyer." She smiled at the older woman with white hair, Rita flipped through the clip broad to make sure the patients health hadn't changed. "How are you feeling today?"

"Hun, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Julie; you make me feel too old." The woman sat down the novel she was reading, giving Rita her full attention. "I'm good today, had a late visit from my son yesterday."

"And how is he?"

"He finally brought that house."

"That's fantastic to hear Julie; he got quite a good deal on it." Rita could have only wish that she could have gotten something that affordable when she moved to Charming a couple of months ago, that way she wouldn't have to work these long hours to pay for the damn. "Did he finally propose?"

"Not yet." The older woman was stubborn though it was clear as day how much she loved her son, he was her pride and joy- if only Rita's parents had felt that way and hadn't dropped them at the first chance. "What's on the list for lunch today?"

"Chicken with veggies, nothing too exotic," Rita said with a smile.

Well Don't let me keep you from your lunch break. You need to get some food into you girl." Rita smiled at the motherly tone and set the clip board back at the end of the bed.

"I'll drop by later for a chat."

"I'd enjoy that Hun."

During her lunch break her thoughts had free rein and the warm weather did nothing to settle them or keep the paranoia away. Would the Sons call the cops? She would have heard something by now if they had. Tara hadn't said anything on their way home merely asking if she was feeling alright but kept the conversation at a minimum. She half expected someone to ask her about her night, suspect that she was involved in a murder. And that was the thing, she didn't feel a huge gash of guilt about the man, he was after all the attacker. She could remember seeing the beatings of men throughout her childhood, she was always defenceless but last night she was able to stop the horrors, but at what cost? Would she be thrown into prison? Rita couldn't help but doubt in her own insanity as her thoughts processed - this wasn't her, she was a qualified nurse with a brother, she had a simple life. She wouldn't let the past control her future, she directed her pathway in life not others. "Hey." Rita's eyes jerked up to the face of Tara- she didn't want to talk to the doctor with her thoughts scattered in every direction. "Are you alright Rita?" The other woman took a seat beside her, her actions were guarded but she seemed to have an attitude of confidence.

"Yeah." Rita wasn't sure how to answer the question, how was one meant to reply? "What's going to happen?"

Tara checked their surroundings. "We continue as if nothing has happened, it's been dealt with." Rita almost believed the other woman, the atmosphere around her was that convincing. "Look, I have to get back to work I just wanted to check in with you." She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket offering it to the other woman. "Here's my number if you need help or just someone to speak to."

Slowly Rita reached for the paper as if the simple material could bite her. "Thanks."

She fiddled with the paper long after Tara had returned back to work; her salad sat untouched beside her on the chair as she wasn't sure her stomach could hold the food down. With the throbbing in her head, she knew a headache would be present and she still has seven hours of work left. Without a second look at the number, Rita shoved it into her pant pocket and grabbed her lunch, there were other things she could be doing rather than questioning herself.

That headache that she had felt coming an hour and a half ago was very present as she realised she was having a staring competition with the patient in front of her. "Mr Martian, could you please stay seated." The older man had defiance in every single one of his bones as he was constantly butting heads with her, Rita thought it might have been because she was new and now she was convinced it was just his personality.

"I'm going outside." He started to stand from his bed and she moved closer because she knew the man was too weak to hold his own weight.

"Mr Martian please," she insisted.

"If I want to go outside, I bloody well can. No woman will tell me-"

"Is that really how you should be speaking to a woman Ray?" The voice from the doorway stopped the older man from continuing his rant; Rita swore the man was worse than any of the women. "Give the woman a break, she's one of the reasons you're your still breathing old man."

Ray was muttering under his breath but Rita heard none of it as her eyes were trained on the three men wearing black leather in the doorway. "Is there something I could help you with?" Like Tara said, act like nothing happened.

"May we have a word Miss Mathews?" She tried to hide her surprise at her last name, she had told Tara that night but it still shocked her that they knew it.

"Sure." She turned away from the Sons for a moment. "Now don't leave that bed Mr. Martian." The old man glared at her but didn't object to it. "I'll be back with your medication soon." Rita walked out of the room with the three Sons following behind her, she tried to ignore the looks from her co-workers as they walked to the lounge, she knew the area would be clear of activity at this hour.

She leaned against the counter trying to appear indifferent as her heart began to beat wildly in her chest "What can I do for you Jax and ..." she trailed off not knowing the other man's name.

_"_This is Opie and Chibs." He nodded his head to each man beside him. She recognised the one on his right, Chibs from behind the bar. "I just want to put you at ease that it's been sorted and there isn't anything to worry about, you would do best to forget last night ever happened." It was very similar to what Tara had said to her earlier today. "But remember if you need a helping hand, you have one in us." It seemed the man was in debt to her, she couldn't possible understand the structure of the club.

"May I ask why it happened?" At the shake of Jax's head she wasn't sure if the sign from her was from relief or frustration.

"The less you know, the safer you'll be." She nodded her head in understanding, in reality she wanted it all to be a bad dream and that's exactly how the men in front of her wanted her to think of it. "Just rest ashore you have nothing to worry about, so we'll leave you to continue your day." The three left leaving Rita alone in the lounge, it was like they were never present but her mind knew better. Her aim to continue with life without a hint of change, that couldn't be that hard right?

It was a few days later that she bumped into a Son, literally as her ass would have hit the ground if it wasn't for the arm around her waist. The feel of leather under her hands made her wonder if someone upstairs had a grudge against her. "I am so sorry mister."

"Tig." She gave the man a confused look; she had never heard whatever a 'tig' was. "My name is Tig not mister and your names Rita."

"It seems everyone knows who I am." She crossed her arms over her chest finally able to take in the man before her. His brown hair was in curls that hung in a mess while he had a trimmed beard but it was his eyes that held her still, the sharp blue eyes seem to stare right through her and she was afraid that he could see everything from her passing thoughts, to the past life. She remembered him, the man from the bathroom he wasn't exactly the kind of person you could easily forget.

How do you know my name," she asks timidly.

"Darling, you saved the VP's Old Lady." She had no idea what an 'old lady' was but she knew Tara wasn't _that_ old. "Trust me, _everyone_ knows who you are."

"And I'm trying to continue life as per usual so if you would excuse me, I have a patient to see." She slid past the man knowing indeed that if Tig wanted her to stay she wouldn't have had any choice. He didn't make such a move but that didn't stop the cold stare drilling into her back as she tried to calmly walk away from the man that seem to rattle her every bone.

She didn't really need to see any of the patients but she couldn't stand to be in the man's personal space for long, the astrosphere around him sent a shiver down her spine and she hadn't yet decided if that was a good or bad thing. Her feet automatically took her to the path of Julie's room, the woman had the TV on in the background as she had a pair of knitting needles in her hands- she looked like a common old lady but Rita knew the woman had a flaming fire. "You tired sweetheart?" Rita nodded at the woman's question; she didn't want to go into detail about it so she took a seat beside her.

"Are you feeling well enough for a game of blackjack?" Rita asks as she grabbed the pack of cards from the bedside table and started to shuffle.

Julie gave an unlady like snort at the comment of her health, giving Rita a look that reminded her of the old days with her Gran. "Deal the pack Hun and we'll see who comes out with the better hand."

The game had successfully taken her mind of the eventful day _and_ by the end she had managed to lose the upper hand but that didn't wipe the smile of her face.

"If you want to get home to that brother of yours, I suggest you start heading off before I pull you into another game."Julie says as Rita checked the clock seeing that she had stayed an hour later than usual and knew that by the time she got dinner it would be nearing nine; it seemed that they were going to have a late one.

"I'll see you the next time I'm on." She grabbed the jumper she had long ago thrown on the back of the chair and stood up. "Have a good night Julie."

"Same goes for you Rita." The younger woman waved her goodbye and headed to the staff room to clock herself out before heading home.

Her car smelt like freshly cooked pizza and she could feel her mouth watering during the drive home, she also hoped to God that the grease from the pizza didn't sink into her car seats, it would stain for days and that was one more problem that she didn't need.

When Rita pulled up in the driveway, there was a single light in the lounge room and the front lawn was still as wild as this morning as she made her way to the door- home sweet home.

...

The last couple of days seemed like a dream as she pocketed the list in her jeans and grabbed her car keys. "I'm going out for a couple of hours Luke." Rita knew he would have heard her from the backyard as he buried himself in a book. She had never known her brother to be a big reader but once he came back, he seemed to grab for something to do to keep his mind from wandering- it was like the book allowed him to get lost in another world without the heavy stones of his past to haunt him. Rita was glad he was doing _something_ with himself other than the TV or drink but if she could only get him back into society - small steps is what she continued to whisper to herself.

As she pushed the trolley down the frozen food section, she couldn't help the one side of her that was paranoid, waiting for someone to suddenly shout bloody murder at her for her sins. A single glance in her direction for too long made her breath catch in her throat as she waited for them to continue with their own shopping. And as she lined up at the checkout Rita tried to think of other reasons they could be staring, she has only been in the town for a month, maybe it could be the possibility of the town folk still being curious as she knew that she could sometimes be as bad as Luke at keeping up public appearances.

With one thing checked off her list, Rita moved to her next one which happened to be down at the hardware store. If she got the supplies, she knew Luke would fix the simple problem of a leak in the bathroom. Well she thought it was simple, however Luke didn't, but that may be because he tended to over think things. Rita got the sealer and headed for the counter wanting to be home to relax, she still felt tired from last night's shift and as the afternoon processed that state had only worsened. She almost reached the counter when the cans of paint caught her attention, the lovely blue and green colours sparked an idea. She knew just the thing to keep her brother active for the next week.

Later that night she was sat up on the counter and watched as Luke moved around the kitchen, the man didn't cook much but he did have a few tricks up his sleeves from their Gran. He could make one mean curry, better than the food from the stores and she could never get it the way he cooked it - your senses would run wild with the smell throughout the house, it made your tongue tingle as if you were tasting it.

A smile graced Rita's lips as he chopped the veggies, he wasn't that pleased when she expressed her idea of the painting rooms and having bought the cans already. As they were seated outside, she could see the idea rolling around his mind as he give it some thought before he suggested making dinner, she knew the paint wouldn't be wasted.

...

Guilt sliced through her as Rita kneeled in the Chapel, she hadn't gone to church in quite some time with the new move but as the day continued on at work she decided to visit the one they had in the hospital. She gripped the rosary beads in her hands as she prayed to the Lord and voiced out concerns- it helped to know that someone was listening.

She asked the Lord to give her brother strength to improve and to forgive her sins though she knew the Lord probably looked down at her with disgrace at the blood she had scarred on her hands. As the phone alarm went off, signalling her to return to work Rita couldn't help the heavy sign that left her as she gave the Lord one last promise saying that she would start going back to church every Sunday for the morning mass and pocketed the rosary beads.

Pushing her personal life aside she made her way down the hallway to start checking on the patients, they had got some recent ones who were either in pain or simply fought tooth and claw to be discharged from the hospital. Rita was just glad she was only a nurse and not their doctor.

It was the end of her shift, the sky had long ago fallen dark and she crossed her fingers hoping that Luke had made the effort to cook something for dinner as she massaged the muscles in the back of her neck while walking out to her car; a long night sleep was what she needed.

When she reached the car door a shiver tore through her, her back going stiff as she unlocked the car. She went to turn around when an impact into her side made the air get knocked out of her lungs as she landed on the ground, her vision swimming as she tried to fully understand the events happening. Rita managed to see her attacker with the red cap covering half his face as his white fists punched against her ribs another time. She truly thought that this might be the end, that all the struggling to survive was catching up to her as another weighted punch pounded into her making it harder to get a proper breath. She hadn't realised it had stopped until the smell of garlic and alcohol flooded her senses as he leaned in close, she tried to grasp onto his sentences but one word echoed through her mind as his tone was filled with so much venom and hatred- _Sons_.

Rita wasn't quite sure how she managed to get home when she came around; the pounding in her head was present along with a stabbing ache in her ribs. She had no doubt that the attacker had broken some ribs as she unlocked the door, the house was silent for which she was grateful as she made her way blindly in the dark to her bedroom. She didn't bother undressing just reached for the packet of panadol in the bedside drawer and laid in bed while swallowing three tablets, letting the numbness work its way through her body.

It was the electrifying pain that sliced through her body that woke her at six in the morning, it ached to breathe and her body complained as she walked into the bathroom to assess the damage. She detached herself, and observed herself as though she was examining a patient. The result of the headache was the bump on the back on her head, there was no bleeding to which she was thankful. She moved onto her stomach, lifting the work shirt to already find the dark angry bruising. Rita felt each rib taking a mental note on which ones hurt the most. It was an equal of three ribs and like any patient; she started to secure the cracked ribs by bandaging them. As she continued to analyse her body, she noticed that to others it would seem as if she was perfectly normal, however her eyes still gave away the injuries that she had painstakingly hiding. If she was examining a patient, she would have given strict instructions to stay bedridden but there was one thing she needed to do before such a thing could happen.

She felt slightly intimidated by the women standing a few feet away as the ten o'clock sun blazed down on them. They were polished up and flat stomached with pronounced breasts, while she was the polar opposite with her curved and round bust, she would never fit within their clothes. Was this the kind of women these men liked? She knew her chances with any of them were slim, she felt old, a stick in the mud to be blunt with her gray skinny jeans and green shirt that covered her chest; there wasn't a flash of skin except for her arms. She almost turned away until she remembered the real reason to coming here- the threat, a threat that left her ribs aching. Straightening her back she forced herself to walk to the garage where she could see a couple of the men. "Rita, something the matter love?" The Scottish accent rolled off his tongue as Chibs caught sight of her, his eyes didn't miss the shaken appearance.

"May I speak with you in private?" Her eyes flicked to the couple of men bent over the vehicle, she was positive they weren't a part of the MC as they didn't hold the same flow of energy.

"Right this way." He quickly made his way across the parking lot with her close behind, he didn't take a single glance at the women as they reached the club house door.

He went for the bar, pouring a shot for the both of them and she had to wonder what they found so appealing about the awful liquid as it caused the painful mornings of a headache. "Is there a problem Rita?" She took the shot in hand at hearing Clays voice, she threw it down ignoring her burning throat and ribs.

"Were you serious about dealing with the problem?" She wanted to know more before getting involved with these guys any further though she had a feeling it was already too late.

"It has been dealt with." She tried not to linger on the meaning of his words but the toss of her stomach warned her, she shouldn't get any more involved. They clearly hadn't tied all the loose ends or she wouldn't be standing here. "So what is it that you need help with?"

"Never mind don't worry about it," she says. With them thinking they solved the problem, they probably wouldn't do anything anyways. As she starts to walk she hears Chib's call out to her.

"A few broken ribs and bruises aren't nothing lassie." She threw a heated glare at him though he seemed unaffected by it.

"They've been in contact with you." The sound of his voice turned her ridged- it sounded better than the last time she had met him if that was possible. "Were you going to let the stubbornness get in the way of your health." Stubbornness- the man had no right to speak of such thing to her when his own was sky high.

"Last time I checked Mr. Trager, I'm the one with the health degree."

"What was the threat?" Clay had a grin edging to his face at watching the two of them banter.

"I...I don't know." She didn't quite understand the man, only that what he said involved the Sons and she had somehow been dragged into it, whatever 'it' was.

"Jesus Christ woman." She turned her heated glare to the blue eyed man.

"I wasn't really focusing on his words while he broke my ribs! It had something to do with you guys!" She rolled her eyes at the man- he really did push her to her limits.

"We'll contact you later." She couldn't help the groan that slipped through her lips at Clay's tone. She hated his pushy attitude but left anyway wanting to escape the men before she said something she may regret.

They watched the woman take her leave. "You may want to tap that ass before someone else does brother." Tig threw Chibs a look, he didn't want to tap her; she _irritated_ him to no end.

"What do you think their aiming for?" Bobby hadn't said a word from the kitchen but he had heard everything.

"Their aim is the club and they think she's a part of it." Clay didn't leave any doubt; they had dealt with similar matters beforehand.

"We can't allow them to get away with this sort of treatment to a woman, goes against every one of my bones." Chibs nodded his agreement with Bobby - that kind of behaviour wasn't acceptable.

"It means babysitting duty."

"I ain't doing that." Anyone else would have felt threatened by Tig; Clay simply threw gas to the flames.

"Well aren't you lucky then, you're taking the first week." Clay stood up, making his way to the door. He would have to fill Gemma in, get her to shine some light on the situation.

"No way in hell, fucking count me out!" Tig's swearing followed him outside, either way both men knew Tig would do it, his sense of loyalty to the club and his stubborn streak would overrule any objection he had. __


	2. Untwine

**::::**

_I may drink too much and play too loud_  
_Hang out with a rough and rowdy crowd_  
_that don't mean I don't respect_  
_My Mama or my Uncle Sam_  
_Yes sir, yes ma'am_  
_I may be a real bad boy_  
_But baby I'm a real good man_

_-Real Good Man, Tim McGraw_

**~Untwine~**

Rita didn't like it one bit, she hated waiting around for a damn phone call, she liked to feel in control, to have all of the details to every situation that involved herself or her brother. Yet at the present moment she felt none of that as she sat beside Luke on their couch. She had taken some sick leave to give her time to heal and divert Luke's questions about her injuries, only answering that she wanted to stay home help with painting the house. Even though she knew Luke didn't completely believe her, he left well enough alone as they had painted the Kitchen blue. Rita took a bite of her chicken roll as her eyes flickered to the silent phone beside her. "Are we going to finish the kitchen?" Luke asked watching as her eyes continuously strayed to her phone; clearly showing he had caught on to her nervous attitude.

"Of course," She said as she finished off the rest of her roll and picked up a paint brush. She decided that she wasn't about to let them get under her skin, well anymore than they already had. She started the second coat when Luke joined her; the radio turned back on as the siblings continued with their painting.

They had just placed the brushes in a bucket of water when the sound of the door bell ringing sounded throughout the house. She didn't give it a second thought as she quickly opened the door with a smile, the time alone with her brother had eased her mind, but that ease left her at sight of the men standing on her doorstep. "What are you doing here?" She directed the question at Clay before checking behind her making sure that Luke was still occupied in the kitchen. Was nothing ever going to go as it was supposed to.

"Came for a chat," was all he said before he went to walk forward. She merely followed his steps blocking him; her actions were rewarded with a raised eyebrow.

"You _can't_ come inside, you should have called and we would-" She stopped mid sentences and squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of her brother walking towards them.

"Rita, who's _that_?" Luke asked in a suspicious tone. She knew that tone, they usually stayed out of each other's business but sometimes the older brother act would over step that thin line.

"Get your boyfriend out of here so we can talk business." At that moment she could have actually hit Tig as she listened to the words that came from his mouth. He directed it at her as though she had some form of authority over Luke.

"Boyfriend? I'm her damn brother so I have every right to hear what _business_ you have with her." Luke said angrily stepping up behind her in a protective yet aggressive manner.

"Luke would you-" She didn't even bother finishing the sentence at the striking glare that he sent in her direction. At that glare she knew that this was not a battle she could win. She did however let out a loud groan her for both parties to hear as she opened the front door wider allowing the Sons to come in.

Luke took to them to the lounge as Rita closed the door after the last man. As she entered the lounge she realized that for the first time the room felt too small, with the four men in leather and her brother's large bodies, also each of their foul moods. "What exactly is this about?" Luke asks addressing Clay as Rita was in the middle of the situation as Luke took the reins like he use to do when they were younger.

"Why don't you ask your sister?" Clay says with a smirk in her direction. She frowned at Clay wondering which side the bastard was on, hers or Luke's, perhaps he was just playing the field.

"Well it seems she hasn't been telling me _everything_," Luke says as he throws another look in her direction. "Or at least she has been leaving out the parts where she got involved with your _club_."

Rita was tempted to speak up but simply sat back at the feel of a headache rising. She continued to take in her brother, his whole character had changed and it took her by surprise as he didn't draw back or flinch with the exposure of his scarred face to strangers that alone told Rita she had dug a fairly large hole for herself.

Clay seems to regard him for a moment, no doubt tossing the pro and cons about telling Luke about the whole situation. "Well we managed to get the security tapes for both the incidents at the hospital." Clay finally said looking at Rita.

"Incidents?" Luke's body instantly curled up in tension; meanwhile Rita was getting ready for her brother to blow up after finding out that his efforts in shielding her away from the darker side of life since childhood was now exposed to her.

"Rita helped a woman connected to the club; as a result she had a run in with a man the other day." For the first time since she had meet Tig, she felt grateful towards him for keeping the details of the situation to a minimum, keeping things on a need to know bases. A shared glance between him and Rita let her know that she would pay for that save later on, she just hoped to God her and Tig would be in the company of others.

There was one thing Rita learnt that afternoon, she had no chance in having her say when five grown men wanted their way, while she was on the opposite side of their agreeability. She had thought that Luke would have been on her side with his reaction to finding out that she was involved with the Sons, but boy was she was wrong. Once Clay had explained the situation without divulging too many details and emphasising that her ass was on the line, Luke was all for the Sons plan. That plan had resulted to the dark haired man sitting across from her, she tried to give him her best stare of distaste but his striking blue eyes made her feel vulnerable to the point that she couldn't express herself once again. "Rita! What's for dinner?" The question from her brother only heightened her mood as she instantly stood from the couch to escape from the men.

"Make it yourself!" She practically growled as she moved towards the direction of her bedroom.

"Now what would Gran say to you being disrespectful to your guest?" Luke asked in a pleasant tone. She knew the damn man was probably smiling as he said it too.

Without answering Luke, she headed in the direction of the kitchen and pulled a beer from the fridge. Retracing her steps, she placed the beer on the table in front of Tig. "Bon appétit," she said with a forced smile before returning to the path of her bedroom, her guest satisfied.

Rita had half wished that the man had left during the night but the body curled up under the blanket on the couch proved otherwise, and that he followed the orders from the club to completely. As she stood leaning against the doorway of the lounge, she couldn't help notice the softened appearance to him asleep compared to him awake in his leather and with ragged facial lines. She almost itched to reach forward and trace the lines on his face, to explore what was in front of her. "Would you stop staring?" She couldn't help the pause in her breathing at the sound of his voice, his eyes slowly opened but they were very much aware.

"Just making sure you're alive, I don't need another death on my hands." Rita's lips instantly thinned into a tight line as she heard the words escape her, she didn't know what came over her whenever she was around the man in front of her. It was like the restless Rita in her younger years had suddenly taken over and all her effort of being somewhat confident, somewhat better was disintegrating at the mere presence of this man. "If you're following me, I suggest you get ready, I'm leaving in twenty." She quickly says as she turns away from him making her way to the kitchen.

"God damn it, it's a weekend." She ignored the fact that he had used Gods name in vain and started to make coffee.

"The world doesn't simply stop because of one incident." She says from the kitchen as he stands up from the couch and follows her voice into the kitchen, taking a seat at the dinner table. A black coffee was placed in front of him as Rita quietly sat opposite him, sipping from her own mug in silence.

Tig didn't quite understand the woman in front of him, one moment she was the innocent lamb from their first meeting, then a hell cat lashing out with her claws. He took a sip of his mug as he regarded her; God only knew he needed the caffeine if he was going to handle her attitude for the entire day. As he drank, he let his eyes roam over her flared hips and bust to her shoulder length hair. He wasn't blind, he knew Rita was all woman. As always in more ways than one, a mystery of the unsolved puzzle presented to mankind. He couldn't wait for the end of the week but as he took yet another look at her, Tig knew he wouldn't mind having some fun while he was at it.

The intensity of his gaze made her shift uneasily, she wanted the man gone and far away from her. "Take your feet off the chair." She says as She reaches over and grabs her handbag.

"Why would I do that?" He asks with a smirk. She could see the dare clear in his blue eyes.

Because we're leaving," She said, not giving him another glance, and walked down the hallway to the front door. After hearing the chair scrap against the floor as he followed after her she realised that maybe she could get use to the small power she held over the man.

She didn't bother waiting for him as she stepped into her car. When she pulled out of the drive the roar of a motorbike told her everything she needed while she travelled down the stretch of road ahead of her.

It didn't matter how hard she tried to keep her eyes on the road, they would continuously flicker up to the rear-view mirror to the black motorbike behind her. There some part of her that was worried that he would suddenly vanish and it would be just her left on the road at such an early morning.

Rita was surprised at the fact that Tig didn't follow her inside the hospital. He simply stopped near the entrance and once he saw her cross the threshold of the hospital entrance he started up his bike and rode out of the parking lot. She had to admit it left her relieved at not having him at her side throughout the whole day. Hell she wouldn't even know how to explain the bad ass biker following her around to her co-workers. Like everyone, she had heard the rumours about the Sons and their acquaintances and she did not want to become a part of the small town's entrainment.

The handover went over smoothly and she was busy getting the medication trolley set up when her phone buzzed in her pocket. The unknown number left her in doubt but she answered anyway only to regret the decision at the person's voice on the other end. "How's it going Doll?" Rita thought about telling him exactly what she thought about the nickname but figured that would mean more time having to speak to him than necessary.

"Nothing other than the usual if that's what you're asking." She tersely responded.

"Who twisted your panties?" was his witty reply.

"Goodbye." Was all Tig heard before he pulled the phone away from his ear trying to wrap his mind around the fact that the woman had actually hung up on him. He had no idea what he had done to even earn himself such hostility.

"Anything new with the Girl," Tig heard from behind him.

"Nah, nothin new." He turned his attention to Clay. "I'll head over there at seven." Tig had taken it upon himself to take a look around the house and caught sight of Rita's rota for the next two weeks. Otherwise he would have stayed with her for the whole day, but the woman was constantly around people and didn't step outside the hospital on her breaks. Personally he didn't know how the woman could do it, she seemed like one of those people who liked to be in control, and he had met plenty of them including his ex. there was just something about her that sparked his interest, Tig figured he just needed to taste the piece of ass and all would be cured. The quicker they solved this threat, the quicker he would be relieved his job.

It was individuals like this that helped her to get out of bed in the morning and walk into the hospital. It didn't matter how hard Rita tried, she couldn't keep the small smile from her face at the couple in front of her. It was the regular happy family, mother and father along with their son who was walking away with a mending bone from his latest escapade gone wrong.

It was something so simple, yet an element that she never truly got to experience. The memories of her parents were far and few in between, though she was sure that Luke could remember them. She could still hear the crying and shouting if Rita let herself get pulled back to the past. Her father was in prison and mother wasn't much better with her late nights until she just never came home. It was their Gran that had taken care of Rita and Luke. The old woman long passed her years of child bearing but had given them a few years to experience what every child should. She taught them the simple habits of life from their schooling to folding their own washing. It was three years of Rita's happiest memories, but no one can live forever. With Gram's passing Rita and Luke were left in the claws of the system.

Just helping a happy and family like the one in front of her was more than she could possibly ask for. Even with her own battle of sadness and happiness with a tint of jealously at what she'll never have, just the image of them brought a smile to her face. Taking a deep breath, she pushed everything into a small box in the corner of her mind and turned away from the family. "You really need to be more aware of your surroundings," came a voice from behind her. Rita's attention snapped to Tig who was leaning against the corner of the corridor where he had no doubt been standing behind her for some time."You sure you can handle yourself?" He taunted.

"Yes." She hated hearing the doubt in his voice and the fact that he was so close, catching her at her most vulnerable state made her state of frustration with him higher. "Is there a reason to your unwanted visit?"

She made her way to go past him when he caught her arm, the strength behind his grip surprising her. "Listen here, I don't want to be watching your ass every god damn minute so cut the attitude." His eyes were truly icy at that moment and she tried not to think what the man could do if he wished to. It was a warning and she was going to go heed it. Rita wasn't sure how many more warnings the man would be willing to give her until he left her high and dry.

"Do you want to catch some lunch?" She timidly asked. It was her way of saying sorry for her bitchy front. He merely assessed her before nodding his head. "The cafe is this way."

Rita led the way as Tig easily matched her strides. At first he almost snorted at her suggestion but knew better after getting Juice to get some Intel on the woman. It only made him think about the mistake in the information that juice had collected for them, they had turned up at her house to take care of matters and the unexpected presence of her brother shifted the situation slightly. As far as Juice had said, her bother Luke Matthews was in an army rehabilitation centre but it seemed the facts were wrong. He hated to think what else they didn't know about the woman they were protecting. Yes she did save Tara's ass but you still had to be careful, and this woman's report showed the woman was clean, even if her life hadn't always been sunshine and rainbows. Her mother had taken off and basically disappeared, her father is in prison leaving Rita and Luke to live with a grandparent. After the old woman's death the siblings were separated by the system, briefly reunited, before it seems they went their separate ways, Luke to the army and Rita to University. But if there was one thing Tig had learnt, there was always more to it than what the papers of the state told them.

Rita felt the nerves shoot through her as they entered the cafe; she hadn't thought this through at all as her eyes trained on to her co-workers. Straightening her back she continued to the food and quickly grabbed herself a wrap and juice, watching as the man beside her took the greasy chips. She was almost tempted to copy Tig as her mouth watered at the idea but knew the wrap would be better for her figure.

She took the table near the corner with her back against their audience and Tig sat in the one that gave him the view of the whole room. Rita almost cursed herself for choosing this spot as it put them in a position that showed they didn't want to be interrupted. So now her only choice of eye contact was her food or him, so she chose the later.

Tig was once again stuck in a position he wasn't sure about. She had once again gone from a fire ball to shyly glancing down at the table. He did think about letting her stay in her pile of unease, but decided to try something else, attempting polite conversation. "It was good of you to help that family back there." Rita tensed up waiting for him to make a strike at the moment he had caught her in. "God only knows how I would cope if something happened to my girls."

She ignored the use of God's name and tried to wrap her head around the fact that this man had a wife and daughter. "You have a wife?"

The expression on Tig's face told her that the wife was not in the picture anymore before the words escape his mouth. "Nah, I've got two daughters." He wasn't quite sure why he was telling the woman in front of this but he liked to talk about them. It was probably due time that he gave them a call. "Dawn and Fawn," he said with a smile.

Now the expression that crossed his face was something she could get use to, she didn't know what kind of father Tig was to his daughters but he cared about them one way or another. It once again reminded her of her family; that whole part of her life was like a jigsaw puzzle that no one could put together. Most of the time Rita just hoped to God she could find a good man to have a family with and that she would be a good mother. She almost craved to experience such a thing but first she needed to get herself into a good position, and that also involved cleaning up the mess she had unknowingly gotten herself into with the club.

"Do they live in Charming?" She curiously asked as she watched him take another bite of the chips and instantly wanted to reach over for one.

"Nah, they take care of themselves," most the time, he thought to himself. They usually came looking for him when they got into a hard spot; everyone knew they were his weakness. "They're in their twenties." He took note that her eyes had moved from her untouched food to his and simply pushed the food in her direction, he was full anyway.

"I can't." The words from her mouth didn't apply to the emotion in her eyes.

"Sure you can, no one's holding ya back," he said as he settled back in his seat watching the silent battle that the woman was having with herself until she finally started to eat. e liked a woman that could have her share of food, put meat on her bones, full hips were nicer to grab than bony ones.

Rita had cleaned the plate of the chips and silently watched the man in front of her; she didn't know what to make of him after the news of being a parent. She didn't know why but the idea of the Sons actually having children seemed alien with the town's gossip. With the amount of leather and black clothing the Sons wore they could be devils servants but in reality they were like every other man on the earth. It reminded her of finding him on asleep on the couch this morning, what would it be like to have a man like him in bed beside her? Would he be as dominating in bed as he was in everyday life? She knew it was possibly something she would never find out, he was all business and the flickering of his eyes around the cafe only reminder her of the reasons why this man was in her presence to begin with. "How long do you think it will take?"

At the whisper of her tone he knew exactly what she asking. "A week or more at the latest." That was if Juice could get the information they needed to get the ball rolling, there was still the unknown of _whom_. "Aren't you going to be late?" He asked after looking down at his watch.

A curse escaped Rita's mouth as she too glanced at her wrist watch seeing that her break was well over but the grin on the man in front of her, made her stop for a moment. Just at seeing the change to the icy man she had first met. "Are you..."

"I'll be here to take you home," was all he said before he started to pick up their trash from their table.

She gave him one last glance before making her way out of the cafe, she was glad to be out of his overbearing presence, but she had enjoyed the flow of conversation. It was as if she caught a glimpse the other side of the man behind the leather.

It had reached the end of her shift and Tig wasn't there. The flickering thought of leaving without him did cross her mind, but she was truly too tired to put up with the aftermath. So she started to make her way to the Chapel in the hospital, the man could call her when he arrives.

As always she prayed for her brother, thankful to have him alive and pleading to give him strength to continue with life. Next she couldn't help but send a prayer for herself, that the mess she had found herself to be eased so she could safely continue on with her future before saying the My Father.

"Does that really work for you?" Her head snapped to Tig leaning in the corner near the door, her heart in her throat as the man seem to appear out of nowhere. At least he had the heart to wait until she was finished to make his presence known.

"I'll take that, you don't believe in the Lord," she quietly said.

This time Tig didn't hold back his idea on the matter and let the sound of disgust escape him, the 'Lord' as she put it never did any good for him. "You didn't answer my question."

"Of course _I_ do, I don't except you to know any better." The sentence made Tig send a fierce look in her direction and she almost felt shameful at her words.

Let's get you home," was all he said. He didn't wait for a response as he made his way to the door, he could hear her following behind. Rita kept her distance as Tig took long strides to the exit, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened during the afternoon that had created the space between them again.

As she started the car, Tig was already seated and ready behind her with the light of the motorbike shining in her rear-view mirror; obviously the man was flowing with impatience. She pulled out of the parking lot and like this morning he trailed behind like a shadow until pulling up beside her when they arrived at the house.

As they made their way to the front door she turned to him before opening the door. "Did something happen?"

"Need to know bases." His blunt answer made her clench her teeth to not snap at Tig, so she entered the house to keep herself from doing so.

"Hey," Luke said as he sat up from the couch as the two entered, watching the stiff muscles present in his sister shoulders but didn't see any threat between them. "How was work?"

"The usual, yourself?"

"Same here." Rita took a glance around the house realised that nothing had changed from this morning except for the few extra dishes, at least he was eating. "I pulled out sausages for tonight." Luke opened the fridge, pulling out two beers before catching the unimpressed look on Rita's face. "I'll cook tomorrow," he said sheepishly.

She let him leave and slipped her shoes from her feet as she started the dinner. She knew that the likelihood of him cooking tomorrow was slim, the good days were few when his body and mind wasn't been tortured. She needed to get him more active, keep him going until he didn't have time to think about such things. The hard part was actually getting him to that stage. Maybe the first stage was already in motion as she could hear the voices talking from the lounge room, she couldn't remember the last time he had spoke to anyone other than herself or the Doctor.

It was later that night with a hot chocolate in hand that she went to the lounge, the TV giving off the only light as Tig laid on the couch as Luke had already retired to bed. "The army really did a number on him," Tig's statement was loaded. She would say that the incident had torn her brother, Luke had never been the innocent type but the scarred face had taken a part of him with it not just physically either. "I was in the marines." At his own confession he stood up from the couch and made his way to the kitchen, Rita close behind as she listened to him talk.

"Would you ever take it back?"

"Nah, it made me who I am and given me what I have now." He pulled another beer from the fridge and made his way to her. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Shouldn't you?" She asked back.

"I'm not the one doing a night shift tomorrow." She frowned at him; the man seemed to always know what was going on. It slightly annoyed her that she couldn't catch him off guard.

She didn't know if it was the right time or not but in the small space of her kitchen, she felt it was easier to talk to him. "This afternoon..." She trailed off as she tried to think of the right words without making him fire back at her. Instead she said, "I wouldn't put it against you if you took the night off and caught some shut eye." She didn't get the response she thought as his baby blue eyes watched her, the intensity of them made her breath catch.

"We have a lead." The air seem to rush out of her lungs at his words as he took a step closer to her, the mug leaving some distance between them. "It's my job to make sure this ass," he emphasized his meaning by sliding his hand to the curve of her ass and squeezing it, she tried to hold back the groan that was daring to escape her, "is safe and sound." He leaned forward and she was silently chanting for him to close the gap between them when he suddenly pulled back. "Go get some beauty sleep Doll." His hand left her backside as he made his way back to the lounge.

Her hand gripped her mug as she found her way to her bedroom; her thoughts were screaming at her, that this was so not happening to her. But she couldn't help but want a taste.

**::::**

**AN: Remember that the story doesn't follow the TV Show so anything used from the show such as enemies and deceased characters are non related to the show events. I would also like to say a special thank you to my Beta, Baloo18. **


	3. Faith

_I might have a reckless streak_  
_At least a country-mile wide_  
_If you're gonna run with me_  
_It's gonna be a wild ride_  
_When it comes to loving you_  
_I've got velvet hands_  
_I'll show you how a real bad boy_  
_Can be a real good man_

_-Real Good Man, Tim McGraw  
_**::::**

**~ Faith ~**

The days had passed and she had yet to hear anything further about the issue. She hoped to God that it didn't mean things had taken another twist but improved, that is if God had answered her prayers. If He didn't respond to hers, she at least prayed that He would for the little boy in front of her. Rita had taken a shift in the children's ward and the young boy Phillip sitting on the carpet with a matchbox car was battling with lung cancer. He was at an age where he should be bursting with energy instead of been confined indoors. He could at any time have his life taken from him, one that has only begun and should have multiple adventures ahead of him outside the white walls of the hospital.

"Miss Mathews, can we go for another walk?" He quietly asked.

The young boy was always polite, and that made the smile on her lips wider as she answered the only way she could. "I'll get the wheelchair." His face reflected her own smile as he stood taking the matchbox car with him. Rita got him settled in and started for the doors that exited to the rest of the house. "And where do you plan to take us today?" She asks with a smile

"The gardens!" He exclaimed. She smiled at his excitement and was already steering the chair in that direction as it was had been the answer the last time she asked. "Do you think that blue bird will be there again?"

"We'll have to search for it and see," she said as they continued on their way.

"Can we name him?" Phillips voice grew eager as they went through the doors into the garden, the grass was surprisingly green in the sun's heat and the fresh air made the boy seem healthier than he did inside the hospital.

"How do you it's a _him_?" she asked Phillip curiously.

"Because his _blue_!" he says completely sure. She tried to keep the laughter at bay at the simple thoughts of the child, if only the world was so easy with black and white instead of the hazes greys in between.

"What name do you have in mind?"

"Bob!" Phillip happily exclaims.

"Bob? Why Bob?" Rita asks as she pushes the wheelchair in the direction they had spotted the bird last time.

"Because of Bob the builder! He was making a nest the other day." She smiled in recollection of the childhood show that she had seen sometimes on the television as she flicked through the channels.

"I like it. Can you see Bob anywhere?" Phillips eyebrows dripped downwards as he tried to get sight of his friend.

"He's not here," He said sadly and the drop in his tone automatically made her want to fix the problem that was out of her hands. "He'll be here tomorrow." Phillips voice trailed as he spotted something behind her, she hoped it was Bob. She followed his line of sight to see that his attention was on a black object that was much larger and a polar opposite to the blue bird. "Can we get a closer look?"

"Phillip, I don't know if-" The boy was already stepping out of the wheel chair before she finished her sentence. "Phillip, please get back in the chair," Rita said urgently. There was a reason why the boy was wheeled around; his energy levels were a burst and nothing that lasted.

"I want to see th-" This time Rita was the one to cut him off, pushing the wheelchair near the back of his knees.

"We will if you sit," Rita said as she tried to get the young boy to sit. Phillip had a huge smile on his face as he sat down, any other time she would have been happy to see him expressing such emotion but as they got closer to the motorbikes, she could have screamed bloody murder.

"Isn't it so cool!" Phillip said excitedly. She rolled her eyes at the excitement in his voice as she caught sight of the reaper on the tank confirming just who owned it, the damn thing seem to be haunting her these days. "I want one just like it," he said excitedly. What was that saying? Boys will be boys, no matter their age. "Can I touch it?" He asks in awe.

Rita did not think that was the wisest choice and was about to protest when a voice behind her answered differently. "Go ahead lad." The Scottish accent confirmed who was behind her as he took a step towards the wheelchair, actually bending down to Phillips height and speaking to him softly as the kid traced parts of the bike with his delicate fingers.

"It feels good to do a simple thing that makes someone else happy," said a voice behind Rita. Rita tried to ease her heartbeat as Jax took a stand beside her. She almost questioned why he was at the hospital when she realised that Tara did work here. "Can you believe we were all that innocent at one time?" He asked. She sure as hell wasn't anymore, she could almost forget about _the_ event if she thought of Tig as her brother's friend instead of, well her body guard in a sense. "How bad is he?"

She couldn't bare looking at Jax as he answered him. "If the doctors can't find a way to slow it down, weeks or if his lucky months," she said sadly. She knew the months were pushing it, the boy did have his good days such as today, but tomorrow could be another story, and sadly he had to live in the present. She silently watched the boy, noticing the slight shake in his hands of the clear sign of the tiredness slipping into his bones. "Phillip honey, how about we head back inside. Lunch will be ready soon with ice cream," she said softly to the young boy. He seemed reluctant but the mention of sweets brought back the shine in his eyes.

"Will there be chocolate?" The excitement in his voice made her nod with as much enthusiasm and he sat down in his seat, hands on the wheels impatiently. "Thank you," he said looking up at Chibs before looking at her.

Rita gave the two men a smile and started to wheel him back through the garden to the entrance. She may not like spending her company with the Sons but she was grateful for the experience they gave Phillip, yet another side of a Son that was exposed to her and Rita wondered when she would learn her lesson about listening to rumours.

As she finished her shift, Rita popped her head in Julie's room and chatted to her, enjoying the older woman's company before her phone vibrated in her pocket. She knew who it would be before she glanced at the text message. "You have yourself a man," Julie stated, her confident words made Rita's head snap up from the phone is shock. She had no idea how the old woman came up with such conclusion.

"The only man in my life is my brother," Rita quickly said.

"Well sweetheart a brother doesn't put a smile like that on a woman's face." Rita went to argue again but Julie cut her off. "You don't have to admit to anything, but you deserve someone to look after _you_." Once again the phone in her hand vibrated with another text coming through, she didn't dare glance at it with Julie still intensely staring at her. "Now off you go, have a night for romance," Julie said causing Rita to just shake her head at the woman.

Rita grabbed her bag from the chair and slowly made her way down the hallway to the parking lot; her mind going over Julie's words. She knew that if the older woman knew the reason for Tig being in her company, she would probably never let her visit her again or come within a touching distance. There was also the hard fact that Tig wasn't like other men, he's a part of a motorbike club, _and_ their Sergeant at arms. Romance and Tig just don't seem to fix together in the same sentence. She shivered as she remembered their conversation the other night about the club, and his answer when she had finally asked what his title meant. She could tell he held back some details on his job description but she reserved a clear picture without anyone else influence, after all her own situation gave her an insight on the Sons.

Rita was almost at the door when she remembered she had paper work in her draw back in the staff room that she needed to get done tonight to be ready for tomorrow morning. She thought about telling Tig but dismissed the idea as she made her way back to the staff room. The man was already impatient; a few extra minutes wouldn't hurt the guy.

She smiled at the few staff members that were on for the night shift and entered the silent staff room. The coffee machine and full coffee pot on the counter caught her attention and she was tempted to make herself a cup. Instead she walked straight to the staff pigeon holes and pulled out the clamped paper only to notice that someone had left a note for her. She ripped the sealed envelope open, there was no note involved only photos that was enough to cause her to freeze. Each and every photo was of her, this morning with Luke, at the hospital doing her duty, to only hours ago with the Phillip in the garden.

The sudden firm grip on her arm made Rita jump into action at the intruder's hand, she struggled against the weight and she took a breath to let a scream only for another hand to clamp over her mouth. Her body was pulled against the intruder as her mind yelled for her to do something, _anything_ to not become a victim. "Rita, Rita, _Rita_," the male voice spoke against her ear, drifting through the fog of panic. "Calm down, it's me." At hearing who the 'intruder' was her body instantly slumped against Tig's as she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall over her cheeks. "Le0'ts get you home," he said quietly. The sudden change in his tone made her attention shift to the photos spread over the floor. He eased Rita into a chair and bent down picking both the papers and photos that had been in her hands a moment ago, he placed them safely inside his cut before taking stand next to a shaking Rita.

They walked down the hallway back towards the parking lot; Rita kept her head down as she let Tig guide her. She wanted to be home behind the safety of the walls, her safe haven. Rita's hands shook inside her pant pockets and she balled them into fists to try and lessen the shakes. The only thing that eased her rattled mind in the slightest was the pressure of the hand on her lower back and the angle of his body, it was as if he could shield her away from the world, and she wished he could.

Once they got to her car, Tig asked that she was able to drive and with a shaky nod from Rita he started for his bike. He didn't dare take his eyes from the car driving in front of him, she was driving slower than usual but in this case he didn't mind as long as he was able to get the woman safely into her house. He should have known something was going to happen, it had been too quiet since the incident, but truthfully he didn't expect the next reaction to be so planned out which meant that whoever was now after her had gotten themselves a partner.

As they turned into her street, he kept an eye on everything from the flicker of a curtain to each of the parked cars in front of each house. When they pulled up to the drive, he indicated that she was to stay in the car while he grabbed the front key to check inside. The house was pitch black but empty, he was thankful to Half Sack for taking her brother out for dinner, that really didn't need to be added to the list of bodies piling up. "Can I come in now?" He heard Rita ask from behind him. The sound of her voice made a flare of anger rush through him as she stood at the doorway with her hands on hips.

"What didn't you get when I told you stay in the car?" He asked angrily.

"If God wanted me died, I would be." The anger only spiked at the mention of her God, he was tempted to tell her that God could go fuck himself but with the evening events he didn't think it was wise getting into religion now. The woman that he left sitting in the car wasn't the one present in front of him, she had somehow pulled herself together though he didn't want to be the one around when she finally let the threads go. A crying woman was never an easy creature to comfort. "Where's Luke?" Rita asked curiously looking behind him into the dark house. Yet again Rita always put another's well being ahead of hers, which just showed how she happened to get herself in this mess to begin with.

"He's with one of the boys," he said gruffly. Once she turned the lights on in the house, he closed the blinds on the windows and headed for the fridge.

"Luke wouldn't go-"

"Half Sack served in Iraq," Tig quickly pointed out. The statement was enough to make Rita rethink her sentence. Yes, Luke hardly ever left the house not even to check the mail box on the front lawn, yet he actually left the house with a strange. Maybe the connection they shared ruled out the rest and God was hearing her prayers.

"Do I want to know the story behind the name?" She asked shaking her head at the nickname. With the Sons, she could imagine the reason for it. "Is it..." She pointed downwards to her groin to emphasis her point, only to receive a grin from the curly haired man in front of her as he confirmed it. "What's the reason to yours?" she curiously asked. Tig just shrugged as he took his usual place in front of the TV, it seemed that tonight he wasn't in the most talkative mood. Of course this would occur the one time she needed to keep her mind busy. "Is it because you like Winnie the Pooh and his friend Tigger?" She prodded. The glare that was sent her way brought a smile to her face, her green eyes getting brighter every minute as Tig appeared unimpressed by her conclusion. Before the man could seriously do anything to show why he was the Sergeant of Arms for the club, Rita quickly made her way to the kitchen to make dinner, in other words to keep her mind and body busy.

Rita set the table as Tig chatted on his phone, she had no doubt that it was about the photos. He had given her the papers she needed, but the photos never left the pocket of his cut. She laid the plates of steak on the table and took a seat waiting patiently for him to finish. Gran always said that no matter the situation, it's considered rude to start eating without or before those you're sharing a meal with. She wondered what would have happened if her Gran had stayed alive until her and Luke were of legal age. There would have been no foster home, no violence. There would be a high possibility that she wouldn't even be seated in this kitchen or even in this town if the older woman was still living.

The sound of a chair being pulled out brought her attention to Tig taking his spot on the other side of the table. He didn't wait for any formal invite; he simply picked up his knife and fork and dug into his dinner. Rita watched him for a second before realising she was waiting for Luke to take the empty seat beside her. However, Luke wasn't in the house and the sudden realisation that she was alone with the man in front her unnerved her stomach more than the events from this evening, and that in itself wasn't a natural reaction. Slowly she picked up her knife and fork, cutting a piece of steak off before chewing it with the same motion. "Do you know when Luke's going to be home?" She asked trying to make conversation. The shrug of his shoulders made a frown appear between her eyebrows, he was carrying on like the first time they had met and she didn't appreciate it. She pushed the barely touched food to the side. "I'm going to bed." Her announcement didn't get a single reply from him; if she didn't know better he was acting like someone in a coma with his unresponsive body language or remarks. The sign that he wasn't was the fact that he was still eating. Rita didn't wait any longer, she went straight to her bedroom and locked the door behind her much like she had done the first time he stayed in the house, though the tears of agitation was something new.

Tig finally let himself breathe at the sound of the lock on her door; he let his guard down and slumped against the table for a moment to collect his thoughts. He was still angry about the woman's ability to put herself in danger even when given instructions. That wasn't the full extent, the intensity of his feelings at the threat, it wasn't a threat directed at him but that's what it felt like and this evening proved his point that the damn woman couldn't take care of herself if he wasn't around. Tig wasn't sure about his next course of action; he was travelling on a very thin line either way he looked at his situation.

**::::**

The next morning Rita had to check the bedroom down the hall way. She quickly opened the door and felt a rush of calm run through her at the sight of Luke under the covers in his bed. If she didn't know better Rita would have said he had spent the whole day in his room, but the new phone on his dresser was proof that he had indeed left. "I don't think he would appreciate having his baby sister check on him," she heard from behind her. She clenched her teeth at the sound of Tig's voice and closed the door so not to disturb Luke.

She waited until they were in the kitchen before saying anything. "God is answering my prayers." She went to the bench and started to make her usual coffee to wake up in the morning.

"God hasn't done shit, Half Sack came over himself," he gruffly.

"I believe that-"

"What you believe is bullshit." The coffee was abandon as she turned her full attention to Tig. She knew he disagreed with her views but after the silence last night she wasn't about to let him get away with this stunt. "He must think pretty low of women or have you forgotten what you've been through the last couple of weeks. First He was going to let Tara be killed and let's not forget about your own near death experience. Yet he lets the drug selling bastard to continue live on while they butcher women."

"Don't you dare start on what God does and does not do, and take a look at yourself. Your club uses women like an everyday toy with their strips of clothing that you use for your own pleasure, fucking them before kicking them to the corner and moving on to the next one. Your women have no respect in your club, what is the point of being an Old Lady if you're not seen or treated as an equal to their men? So don't you dare start telling me that God has done no good."

"Tell me than Rita, what good has He done for you?" The deadly tone was an opposite of the one he had used before and yet she couldn't have cared less, she didn't want to be near the man at the moment.

"Plenty," and without another word to him or waiting for a response she grabbed her handbag off the counter and left for the door. He could go fuck himself for all she cared.

It wasn't until she arrived at the hospital parking lot that she realised what had happened and the words that had spilled from her mouth and her actions. It was early morning and the parking lot was just about empty except for the night staff. Rita knew the coffee shop would be open at this hour and headed for that direction as a public place would be better than one where she would be alone after yesterday evening. She couldn't even call Tig because she had left her phone connected to the charger at home. Then again she wouldn't have called him even if it was on her, whether she liked it or not he made her second guess her beliefs.

She ordered her coffee and waited for it to be made as she stood at the counter off to the side. She glanced at her wrist watch to find that she still had half an hour before she need to start work. She just hoped to have her mind set as there was no way she could work the day with her thoughts pulling her every which way.

With her coffee in hand, she took the table at the back of the cafe and sat with her back to the wall to have the view of the room, like she had seen Tig do many times over the last couple weeks. The man was killing her and he didn't even know it, he wasn't with her and yet his words played in her mind, "_what good has He done for you?" _Truthfully she couldn't even answer the question herself as she took a sip of the coffee. Everything she had gone through with life boarded on the dark side, her parents, Grams death, and the foster homes with the drinking and abusive people. The only good that had really happened in her life was working her ass off and getting the degree in nursing, and who did that? Much like Tig's answer about Half Sack, herself. Was she losing faith? She couldn't be, one man couldn't change a woman with a few words, not even one such as Tig Trager.

She finished off the last of her coffee, she could have gone for another one but she needed to keep her hands busy. Grabbing her belongings she made her way for the hospital, she'd just clock in early and get the medication trolley ready for the morning round.

It was around midday and she didn't feel any better than she did this morning, and the patient Ray Martin was having one of those days in which everything she said or did made the older man agitated and he'd fire back a response. Rita hated to think badly of a patient but she was thankful that he would be going home soon. His kidney surgery had gone well and he was well on the mend though she did pity the people that have to live with the man.

Exhausted, she knew the right place to get some rest and nice company, so Rita made her way to Julie's room though she didn't get far when she realised that her afternoon break wasn't going to be as she had imagined. Sitting in the chair with his own set of cards was probably the last man she wanted to see, Rita would have taken Mr. Martin over the curly haired blue eyed demon in front of her. The damn man knew she would come here sometime during her shift. Even as she watched him play Rita thought that the word demon would have to be changed to dark angel with his handsome roughish features.

"It's nice of you to finally join us my dear," Julie said with a smile, still playing cards, but once she placed her chosen cards down, the old woman's eyes turned to Rita and her look made Rita want to backtrack her steps. "Don't even think about it," Julie said without missing a beat. Rita took a glance at Tig finding him completely at ease in the woman's company. "Why didn't you tell me that your man was a Son?"At Julie's words making it sound like she and Tig are a couple, a blush erupted across Rita's cheeks. "My Juan is one too, smart boy he is," Julie said with pride, as she placed one more card down before setting her cards to the side. "I heard you had an argument with Alex. Now darling, James and I use to fight all the time and let me tell you a little secret, the makeup sex is always the best," Julie said seriously. Rita didn't quite know what to say in response, they were friends but she never once spoke of anything remotely sexual in her company_, not to mention_ the damn woman seemed to know everyone in this small town.

"I'll take it from here Julia, thanks," Tig said as he stood up from the table, planting a kiss on the older woman's cheek before making his way towards Rita. He grabbed her by the arm and started walking down the corridor. She saw a few co-workers giving her looks before he pulled them into one of the vacant patient rooms.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Tig?" She asked as she pushed him away to give herself some space only for him to come back like a damn yo-yo. "I'm at work; could you be a little more proper?"

"Proper?" His voice came out as a whisper but she heard it with his close distance. Her eyes flickered down to his lips for a half second and that's all it took. Before she knew what was happening he had her turned around and up on the bed without hesitation, and when she went to question his actions the words were simply lost as his lips melted into her own as he pulled her into him. Any resistance she might have had skipped town, leaving her ready and willing at the sensations he caused in her. She opened her mouth and his tongue slid inside, gentle first and then growing urgent, sending waves of heat all the way to her toes. She moaned and slipped her hands into his hair, pulling him closer.

The sound of a phone ringing made his lips rip away from her skin as he flipped open his phone, he was speaking but her mind couldn't piece together the words as her head dropped to his right shoulder. She felt all over the place from head to toe with her shaky hands, swollen lips, and aching heat.

The light kiss brought her away from her body, "I'll see you later, club business." Before she could so much as protest he was out of the room. She sat there for awhile, once her mind came back to reality she snorted at the situation she was in. _Proper?_ Instead of the wooden door, he placed her on a bed and the whole situation was not her definition as proper; the ache between her legs was proof of that. She was definitely going to kill that man next time she saw him.

**:::: **

AN: Again, thanks to my beta - Baloo18 :)


	4. Closer

_I take all the good times I can get_  
_I'm too young for growing up just yet_  
_Ain't much I can promise you_  
_'Cept to do the best I can_  
_I'll be damned_  
_I may be a real bad boy_  
_But baby I'm a real good man_

_-Real Good Man, Tim McGraw_

**::::**

**Closer**

As a matter of fact, her desire to kill Tig Trager wasn't as soon as she thought and his definition of 'soon' wasn't the same as hers. As per usual Rita had grabbed her handbag at the end of her shift and went outside to the hospital car park to meet the man. Instead it wasn't him leaning against her car, the gray hair and scars on his cheeks where a constant to Tig. "Is everything alright?" She had never known Tig not to turn up, one thing she had learnt with her situation was the man took his job with the club seriously and Rita couldn't see him handing his responsibilities to anyone else.

"Club business." She turned her attention away from Chibs and got into her car, she could feel the frustration running through her at having to hear that answer once again.

As Rita silently watched the motorbike following behind her as she drove home, she couldn't help but question if the Sons were keeping information from her. Soon she would be asking questioning and excepting actual answers to them instead of the half ass ones.

It wasn't until that night while she washed the dishes and listened to Chibs and Luke talking in the lounge that she realised how strange it sounded to have the Scottish accent filling the house instead of rough American one. Rita cursed herself for getting so use to such a thing, Tig's presence was and still is a short term thing because there was no way a man like Tig or someone like herself could get into a serious relationship. At the sudden truth hitting her, she couldn't help feeling sadden as she remembered the way his lips and hands felt pressed against her, the emotions he could make her feel without touching her as well. What was she doing? She didn't need a man to keep her centred; she sure as hell didn't need one with as much baggage as Tig. With those last thoughts of independence, she went straight to bed not even bothering to say goodnight to her brother or their guest.

She didn't go into the church at the hospital, simply sat outside in one of the chairs directly from it as the guilt ate at her for not fore filling her promise of going to church every Sunday. She wanted to talk to God, yet she couldn't make herself to do the Sunday mass and get on knees among everyone else in their fine clothing - it didn't feel right and she hated herself for second guessing God.

"Rita Mathews?" Her head snapped up at the sound of her name, the woman in front of her was someone she probably would never associated with just because it reminder of the foster carers who used their child support funds to make themselves look sociable accepted. Yet the woman standing in front of her held a different kind of atmosphere, one that showed she truly did own it.

Unsure, Rita nodded her head as her fingers clutched the rosary beads in her pants pocket. She really didn't want to get into any more trouble than she already had. She pushed her personal matters and addressed the woman, she could simply be asking for directions Rita tried to tell herself. "How may I help you?"

"You're what all the fuss is about?" Rita could practically feel the fire of the other woman's gaze.

"Excuse me?" She didn't know _this_ woman and yet the woman was able to pass judgement.

"Gemma Teller." The woman didn't hold out her hand like a normal greeting but simply continued to assess Rita. "So you work at the hospital?"

"I'm a RN." Rita half excepted her to ask what an 'RN' was and she was about to say a 'Registered Nurse' when the older woman nodded her head.

"You better be worth it." Rita almost didn't hear the words as they were at a whisper. Gemma took a step closer to her, she didn't think the woman was much taller than herself but she suddenly felt smaller with Gemma been so close. "You so much as make a wrong move and I'll cut you down, do you understand me?" She nodded her head not quite sure of the right words to say to the woman but it seemed that was enough for Gemma as she gave her one last look before walking down the hospital corridor. That was the first, not the last time that Rita experience that Gemma was protective over the Sons and it wasn't until Rita finished work that evening and drove home with the sight of Tig leaning against his bike in her driveway that she realised the meaning of Gemma's warning.

Rita wasn't sure if she was pleased or not to see the man in leather as she stepped out of the car. She felt the itch in her hand to slap him, instead she buried the fisted hand into her hoodie pocket knowing he wouldn't respond nicely to having been confronted like that in public but one thing was for sure, she wasn't going to let him off so easily once they were alone. She thought about striding straight to her house but Rita wanted answers and that attitude wouldn't get her anywhere so she walked around her car to him. "We need to talk." She knew those weren't the wisest words to use with a guy, she didn't want him worming his way out of this like he seem to do with everything else.

Tig didn't answer her straight away merely passed her the black helmet while he saddled his bike waiting for her. Rita didn't move a muscle, the helmet felt heavy in her hand and she had the sudden feeling to turn tail and run into the house - she wanted their conversation to be on her terms not his. "You getting on Doll?" The corner of his lips turned up and she took the silent challenge, placing the helmet on her head, her fingers unknowingly playing with the straps until Tig took pity on her and thread the straps through the loop, securing it. He tapped his knuckles against the helmet and she clenched her teeth to stop snapping at his action, even more when he turned around on the leather seat waiting for her. Rita took one look at the narrow seat and reach forward with shaky hands to his shoulders - She truly had no idea what the hell she was doing. She was slightly unbalanced as she tried to put her foot on the peg sticking out, Tig reached back and once again helped her, a blush run up her neck at her fumbling to something that he found as second nature.

That was proved when she finally got seated onto the bike and grabbed hold of Tig's waist for dear life, the bike and Tig were apart of one another as they moved with one another- leaning left or right into the corners. She was half terrified that if she leant too far to the side, she'd throw the bike sideways. As they hit the narrow and straight roads of the highway, Rita truly did see the positive side to the wind breezing through her hair and her muscles slowly unclenching with every mile they drove. She didn't know where Tig was taking her, she didn't really care at that moment as the attacks and day to day life was getting left behind in the small town. With the afternoon heat, it was just Tig and herself with the motor rumbling underneath her.

They finally stopped on the side of the road at a petrol station; it wasn't too bad of place with a small cafe and toilet block on either side of the station. Rita couldn't have given anyone directions as she had no idea on their whereabouts, she did know that her ass was somewhere between numb and pain when she stood up from the bike, hands on hips as she tried to stand up right. She caught the smug look on Tig's faces and rolled her eyes. "Oh shut it!" She half heartily said at him as he sit on the picnic table outside the cafe.

"You hungry?" She shook her head 'no' though her stomach protested at the idea of not getting some food. "Well I am." Tig headed straight for the cafe and the man behind the till didn't blink an eyelid at the man in front of him. Actually Rita noticed that most of the pardons in the small cafe took no notice of the Son, it was a complete contrast to how a cafe in Charming would have responded.

"How you doing Tig? It's been a while." The man behind the till greeted Tig like a long lost friend.

"All good on my end, Ill grab two of my usual." He slipped the man a note before turning on his heel back out the door to the shaded picnic tables and Rita trailed after him in thought.

"You come here a lot?" She took a seat opposite him, her eyes following him as he lit up a cigarette.

"Its a good distance for a ride, clears the mind." He took a drag of his smoke, shoulders slightly slumping as he blew out. It was that moment that Rita realised Tig had a hint of tiredness attached to him with the dark lines under his eyes.

She didn't want to ask him the question but Rita was itching to know. "What's been happening the last couple of days?"

"To put it bluntly, nothing." Rita didn't know if there was any truth behind his words- does that mean he has been avoiding me? Chibs words came back to her- Club business my ass.

"That's all?"

"Nothing except for the usual." He flashed her a pervert grin seeming like his old self as if she had been imagining the slope in his shoulders a moment ago.

She remembered their quick time in the hospital a few days ago, it was also like that had been apart of her imagination as well. Did it mean nothing to him? Or was she simply another toy like those women at the club house? Rita felt her blood pressure spike at the thought and turned her thoughts to something less dangerous where she wasn't going to strike the man in front of her.

"What about the attackers?" She kept her voice low to make sure no one heard, the outside of the cafe was empty but she didn't want to take any chances.

Tig merely stared at her, assessing her body language and trying to decode what the woman in front of him was possible thinking. The tray of food came out that time giving Tig some more time to think about tackling the subject at hand. With the food in front of him, he placed half the order in front of himself before pushing the tray towards the stubborn woman across from him.

He was buying time, Rita knew that but he did happen to throw her off when he pushed the half loaded tray in her direction. She was tempted to shove it right back at him, the sickness that was creeping in her stomach made her grab for the burger - next time she'll have to make sure not to skip lunch.

"It's taken care of." Tig's words did stop her from chewing- taken care of? They had been feeding her the same bullshit for weeks now and it didn't seem 'taken care of' from her point of view.

"I want to know what happening; it was only a couple of weeks ago that I found photos in my pigeon hole at work! What's next? A head?!" She hadn't meant it to be serious but Tig merely shrugged not cancelling out the fact that a head could indeed appear. "Tig!?"

"Look, its nothing to worry about. I have it under control." He took another bite of his burger, his manner perfectly calm compared to herself and that only frustrated her more.

"It's been weeks since...since the incident at the hospital!" She sat back in the chair feeling like the conversation was draining her of energy. "I just want it to be over, not have someone watching my backside every hour."

"I quite like watching your backside." She couldn't help but smile at the low tone of his voice. Tig took a seat beside her, saddling the bench and turning Rita to face him. "I promise you, Ill have it sorted out soon." She reluctantly nodded her head, she knew he didn't make promises at light and tried not to over think the fact that he said _he'll_ sort it out meaning Tig was personally putting her under his protection, maybe Gemma had some truth in her crazy warning.

"Look I know you can't give me a lot of information but _please_, give me something I'm going insane." Rita pleaded with him and she watched that sudden appearance of tiredness settled back in.

"I'll give it to you plain and simple." He put his burger down giving her his full attention. "These attackers are selling in Charming; we don't let fuckers like that get away with dealing. The Doc did a favour for the club with some medication, that's how Tara got involved." Tig went back to his food as if they were talking about a day to day job, in a way I guess they were as it was a usual thing for him.

The dots started to connect as she slowly eat away at the chips and she excepted to feel some kind of relief at knowing more information but she only grew more worried as she thought about these _'fuckers'_ in her town. "Clay said it was taken care of weeks ago, it hasn't."

"It got a bit complicated when they joined forces with someone who has a little more man power than themselves."

"Does that-"

"Though it means you have nothing to worry about. As you so finely put before, someone is always watching your backside." The intense gaze of his eyes made her stop from further questioning him when he seem pleased enough with her response, he turned back to eating his chips.

The ride back to her house seemed shorter as she actually grew to enjoy the smooth turns of the bike and the feel on the muscles underneath her hands responding to the bike. They hadn't spoke about anything else during their meal, simply took in the quietness around them and Tig had his last cigarette before they left for the ride back to Charming.

They pulled up outside of her house and hopped off the motorbike but neither of them made a move as they stood on either side of the bike. Rita moved her hands against her arms making some warmth in her body against the cooling night. "Are you coming in?" She nodded her head to the house where the lounge light could be seen.

"Chibs already in there." She couldn't help feel surprised at hearing that, the Sons seem to be spending more and more time with her brother and she wasn't sure how she felt about that but hell, wasn't she doing the same? "Actually we're having a party this Friday night at the club house; it might be a good time for you to untwine for a night." He threw her a grin, watching her response to the offer.

"I don't think it's my kind of scene." She winced as the words left her mouth, they sounded harsh in her own ears but Tig reacted the complete opposite.

"Come, I'll convince you other wise." She rose to the challenge in his tone and found herself nodding without actually thinking the whole Friday night party through. "Great, Ill except to see you there." He walked around to the other side of his bike taking a further step into her personal space and pulling her into a kiss. The taste of his lips knocked the breathe out of her, a reminder once again of their short moment in the hospital before she could make anymore of the embrace he was saddling his bike and grinning at her like a manic.

Maybe Tig could shift her view on parties; well that's what she thought until Friday afternoon came around at the hospital.

She was in the staff office sipping her coffee as she read the newspaper though she was only half interested as her attention was on the two women whispering across the office, their eyes trained on Rita before they finally took the seats across from her, a feeling of dread entering her stomach. "I heard you're in a relationship with a Son? Tig?" The blonde woman in front of her continued to smile.

"I don't believe that's any of your business." Rita was no way the type of person to be discussing her personal life with strangers.

"You do know he comes to the hospital quite a bit." Rita tried to ignore the second woman as she stared down at the newspaper. "He likes nurses." The sentence made Rita's stomach clenched horribly and it only continued south as the woman continued. "He gets a real kick out of the role play. I remember the time he wanted me to give him an examination and-" She didn't allow herself to hear another word and calmly walked out of the room; she didn't want the women to see how much their words had effected her. Once thing she was positive, she would not be going to the stupid Club party, he would have plenty of company to keep him busy.

Once Friday night had passed Rita felt relief that her night had ended as per usual, she had half excepted to have Tig on her doorstep with his usual demanding manner about her turning him down. She didn't really think of Tig as someone who would take rejection at ease. She moved the shopping trolley slowly down the ally; it felt good to so something normal even with Juice following behind her. She turned the trolley to the next ale and actually cursed God as Gemma Teller was there and she had no means of escape when the woman's eyes trained on her. Gemma headed straight for her and Rita's grip on the trolley handles tightened. "Where were you on Friday?" The hard tone of Gemma's voice made her check that no one had taken an interest in their conversation- maybe she could save herself from been involved with the SAMCRO within the community- even Juice was pretending to take interest on something on the shelf at Gemmas presence.

"I didn't think it was excepted of me to have to be there."

"Well it was _excepted_ of you; you bloody have a better reason to not showing." Gemma's tone again almost sent Rita into a fit of nerves- damn the woman could do a fine job as Hades.

Rita didn't really see the importance of her showing up to some party but it seemed there was still a lot about SAMCRO that she didn't know about. Yet, what was she meant to say to Gemma about not going? She knew no reason would be good enough for her; the woman took her care of the Sons personally. She said the only thing that did come to mind. "I don't want to be seen mingling with the Sons." And yet, she had one following behind her in a shopping centre for safety.

The tight mouth and eyes told Rita she would have been better at keeping her words to herself as Gemma sized her from head to toe, Rita didn't know why the woman was even trying to convict her. "I thought you would have learnt by now not to listen to town rumours." Gemma's words sent a shock up Rita's spin; the woman had practically hit the spot. "If you have a problem or _doubts_," She hissed the words out. "You go to Tig and talk to him about, hear it from the horse's mouth first."

Rita said the only thing she could. "Yes Ma'ma."

"Its Gemma and you better be at the family dinner tomorrow night." The hard look in the woman's eyes simply made Rita nod her head in response. Happy with the response, Gemma continued on her way, calling out briefly. "Juice, give her the details."

Once Gemma was around the corner, Rita turned her attention to Juice who was busily gazing at the different pasta sauces with intense eyes like he would suddenly camouflage himself into the bottles. She had noticed he had been doing that since Gemma showed her face, she shook her head - even Gemma Teller frightened a Son - the thought itself made Rita snort. "Lets get out of here sauce boy." The comment caught Juices attention, making a blush slide to his cheeks and reminding her that Juice was younger than her despise the fact that he put on a hard mask and wore leather. "So what are these _details_?"


	5. Knots

_I may be a real bad boy_  
_Oh but baby I'm a real good man_  
_Yes I am_

_-Real Good Man, Tim McGraw_

**::::**

**~ Knots ~**

Luke had taken the wheel of her car, driving the two of them in the direction of Gemma's house, while Rita would rather head in the opposite direction and avoid the crowd of leather at all costs. That didn't seem to be happening as Luke unusually chatted away spouting good things about the Sons, and Rita couldn't help but ask herself if Luke knew about half the shit the club got up to? Christ she didn't even know the full extent of their business. Did he know about her involvement with them? She gathered if he was aware of her recent activities they would have had a conversation by now instead of driving towards their current destination. The constant questions rolling in her mind made her hands clutch at the glass bowl of the crunchy noodle salad in her lap. She didn't fully understand what was happening, was she was once again taking part in something that she didn't fully want to cooperate in? Even if some small part of her was excited to spend some time with Tig, that tiny feeling only made her realise how fucked she had gotten. There was no 'us' or 'relationship' and that was cleared up the other day at work though she couldn't help the nagging in the back of her mind that repeated Gemma's words- _hear it from the horses mouth_. Rita was coming to the conclusion that if the Sons weren't the death of her, Gemma Teller would do the job.

Their house was nothing compared to the Teller-Morrow house, for a word to describe it would be grand with its paint job and neatly cut grass, while their own was overgrown and the house could do with a touch up. She debated whether it was worth going inside or if she should take the chance of walking back home. She cursed herself for letting them get the best of her, it seemed to be having that effect of her recently making her think back on the days she had ran from those who treated her badly such as Tayah. The middle age woman had something against younger kids, they had figured the only reason she was on board with the social service was for the money. Tayah use to make them sit on hard stools at the kitchen table and make them eat every bit of their meal, it looked like porridge but it tasted nothing like the breakfast cereal while Tayah would set herself up in front of the TV eating her steaming veggies and prime steak. Rita knew that Gemma could be a bitch at times but she didn't think the woman would do anything like their past carers.

"You ready Rita?" Luke spoke softly, he watched her get that distant look in her eyes as they focused on him leaning against the car door. The look meant one thing and he hated that he couldn't fix everything for her, lately it seemed he wasn't doing the best of jobs in the big brother role. He knew that each of them had their own way of of dealing with the past, he liked to physically express himself which was one of the reasons he had left for the army, it also gave him a cause and something to work with instead of the everyday motions. Rita, his dear sister liked to talk them out, bounce ideas and problems from each other and she hadn't done that simple rambling act in quite sometime which made him believe that something, everything was building up inside of her, he just wasn't quite sure what would make her tip over the edge. "It shouldn't be _that_ bad, we've lived through worse."

Rita flashed her brother a smile, her hand going for handle on the car door. "Let's show these bikers how the Mathews do it." The rumble of Luke's laugh made her pause for a split second at the door; he use to laugh all the time yet the sound seemed new and surprised her every time he did it lately.

They walked up to the house, Luke knocking on the door as they reached it. Tara was on the other side and Rita was grateful to see a familiar face because she had no doubt that she only knew half the people that were going to be here tonight. "Just in time, Clay just threw the meat on the BQQ." Tara opened the door further allowing the siblings to step into the house. Rita yet again felt out of place as she looked around the room, she didn't know the place but she started to sense that homey feeling that her Grams place held before she passed. "Luke, the boys are outside if you want to join them." He smiled his thanks, heading out through the glass doors that led to the backyard.

"You've met Luke before?"

"Half Sack brought him around to the Club house a couple of times." Rita realised that there seemed to be a lot that was happening without her knowing, the change in her brother just happened to be one of them. "You ready to head into the kitchen?" Tara nodded to the bowl in her hands. _No_, Rita wasn't ready but she nodded her head anyway and followed Tara.

The kitchen was filled with bodies, and she didn't know most of them as predicted. Rita could guess that a handful of them happen to be the hang arounds from the club from their dress code but there were two women that parted from the rest. "And look who finally decided to show up."

Rita ignored the words of Gemma. "I brought a salad." She held it out like a peace offering as Gemma glanced down at it before a rare smile glanced the woman's lips.

"Good, we can always use more food with this lot." The older woman went back to chopping the carrots and Rita put the bowl on the table with the rest of the covered food.

A woman with dirty blonde hair turned towards her, she kind of reminded Rita of Gemma. "Nice to meet you Hun, I'm Luann." Her soft hands shook Rita's as she gave her a knowing glance of her body. "I'm Otto's Old Lady. You know if you ever find yourself stuck with finding yourself a job, you should give me a call."

"Luann, leave the girl alone, I don't need another one getting into the business of porn." At Gemma's words, Rita couldn't stop the blush spread across her cheeks at the business proposal.

"Come on, let's set the table." A soft spoken voice said she was grateful for the brunette's option to get out of the kitchen. The woman grabbed a few bowls and Rita followed her example. "I'm Donna by the way, Opies Old lady." There it was again, the term 'Old lady'. "You're a nurse right?"

"Yeah." She started to set the knives and folks. It really did seem that there was no such thing as privacy in this circle, everyone knew everything.

"I never thought someone like you would end up with Tig." Donna said as she continued with setting the table, while her words made Rita pause, what exactly did she mean by that?

She didn't get a chance to ponder it over as Clay came through with a couple of plates filled with meat and a trail of men and children close behind. She moved back away from the table to allow everyone into the dining area, unsure which seat she should take.

She slightly jumped as an arm went around her shoulders pulling her against a body mass. "Relax kitty cat." She rolled her eyes at Tigs whispered words as he started to direct them to a couple of chairs near the end of the table, closest to Clay.

It was a real family dinner, it made Rita realise that she had never truly had anything like it with the laughter and large gathering. What surprised her the most was the fact that it was a motorbike club that held this unity, the bond between the each of them whether a woman, man or child, it was shared throughout everyone. They didn't even hesitate in letting Luke and herself into their conversations, like it was natural for them to be there instead of the only two having their first dinner.

It was after dinner that Rita stood in front of the sink washing the pots that couldn't go into the dishwasher. She was on autopilot as her mind was else where watching the interaction between them, Tig's movements always catching her attention, she was sure the man knew she was watching from the constant smirk that stayed printed on his face. "So far you haven't done anything to want me to kick you flat on your ass." Her eyes snapped to Gemma, the woman had a cigarette in hand while leaning against the counter. "Yet."

"Sorry I haven't allowed you the pleasure." Rita's eyes shown brightly as she batted with the older woman. _"Yet_."

"What are your intentions with him?" Asked Gemma. The question threw Rita, she hadn't expected the woman to be so straight forward, then again the least expected always seemed to happen with this woman.

"Good intentions." Rita was almost tempted to add 'Ma'am' on the end of that but didn't want to push her luck.

"After our short chat at the grocery store, I think you still need to decide which side your on." Gemma merely stared at her and that unnerved her. Rita cast her eyes down to her hands in the sink, remembering their brief conversation later that week. "You cant have both in this world, its only _black_ and _white_ sweetheart, no gray shades _exist_." Rita looked over to the small group of Sons still inside, each laughing with a beer in hand. "You love the _man_, you learn to love the _club_."

"I don't love him." They both knew the words were a lie and Gemma's raised eyebrow confirmed it.

"Don't keep kidding yourself sweetheart, life's to short for that." Gemma's words made Rita look over to her, they seemed haunting as the words continue to repeat in her mind. "Now, give me that." Gemma took the scrubbing brush from her. "Go see your man." Pushing the younger woman towards the lounge.

Rita was tempted to tell Gemma that he wasn't her man but thought better of it, she didn't actually mind hearing it. She smiled to the Chibs and Jax with little Abel in the lounge and made her way outside to the rest of the voices.

"Look who has finally come out!" She almost stopped in her stride at the sound of her brother. He was something different surrounded by these men, they kept the darkness that he had been battling away causing it to begin to fade.

Not quite knowing where to go, she made her way over to Tig who pulled her onto his lap as soon as she was within arms distance. She was aware of Tigs hands on her waist and his breath against her cheek but her eyes were trained on Luke, she was trying to figure out what had brought him to such a high.

"Clay just offered a job to Luke at the garage." Her eyes moved from Luke to see the truth shining in Tigs gaze. It seemed the club was once again giving her family a helping hand, the reasons why, she could take a wild guess that it had to do with the man beneath her.

She looked over Tig's shoulder and nodded her head in thanks and respect to the gray haired man leaning against the wall with a beer in hand. Clay knowledge her before Tig caught her attention again by running his hand up her jean covered thigh, drawing circles in a frazzled manner. "I think it's about time we left." Rita could only nod her head in response to Tig and let him take her hand to lead them out.

It wasn't until she got to the front door that she realised she hadn't actually said any goodbyes to anyone. "What about?" She pointed in the direction back to the house as he led her towards his bike.

"They know Doll," He saw her about to open her curved mouth once again."And they'll look after Luke." Tig had no doubt about it, it seemed every hour Luke was getting closer to the club though he still remained clueless in some aspects, that he was now under their protection. Tig wouldn't be surprised if one day the guy decided to prospect.

He pulled off his jacket and handed it to Rita, along with his helmet once her hands were free and helped her strap it on. Tig saddled the bike and couldn't help the small smile as he watched her swing her leg over the bike without hesitation unlike their last time, he took it as a sign that she was beginning to trust him more.

The warm house was a contrast to the bite of the wind once the bike started to get going, she knew the ride wouldn't be that long and started doubting herself as the fresh hair made her mind tick.

When they pulled up to the short drive way, the house was solid gray and looked like one of those modern copied rentals. Once they climbed off the bike and made their way inside, the inside looked much like the outside with no belongings to show who lived there, it was impersonal. "I spend most my time at the club dorms." She had never seen the dorms and wondered what his dorm would look like compare to what she was staring at now with the few pieces of items scattered around that showed life. The magazine and jeans thrown over the back of the couch with the beer bottle on the table - there was no sign of a feminine touch.

It was the feel of his hands running underneath the black hoodie that brought a violent shiver and her undecided thoughts. His fingers travelled up her smooth stomach, edging at the fabric of her bra though he stopped when he felt the muscles underneath his hands tense up. "We aren't," She let out a shaky breath trying to regroup her thoughts as his fingers moved up and down on her sides. "We haven't discussed our-"

"Stop thinking love and just feel." To emphasis his point he continued to trace the muscles underneath his hands and started sucking on her pressure spot on her neck, feeling her body finally go slack against his own.

**::::**

Rita half expected to wake up alone in a cold bed but she felt very much alive and warm. Her eyes focused in front of her to the man snoring beside her, she hid her smile into the pillow wondering how his snoring hadn't woken her up during the night. It reminded her of a few weeks ago when everything had first started and she woke to find him camped out on her couch. Truthfully she expected that he would wake up at any given moment to stare back at her with those striking blue eyes.

She dared to touch him, her finger tracing the few scars on the side of his stomach before playing with the patch of dark hair on his chest absently while she stared at the dog tags around his neck. She wondered which service he was in. She couldn't exactly read it with the tags turned over and didn't want to over step the boundary between them by sticking her nose into unwanted places.

"The Marines." Her eyes stayed on the dog tags as her heart pulsed rapidly against her chest. It gave her some hope that her brother would get his life back on track if Tig had been through the same. Hell, Luke was showing positive signs everyday that he spent with the Sons. It never crossed her mind that a band of bikers would be the ones to bring Luke back to life.

Her thoughts turned to her own life, her path seemed to be winding with bends that she couldn't see around until the last moment. Plans were thrown out of the window because her heart wanted something more, something different that she had been missing and as Rita laid there against Tig, she thought she could definitely get use to _this_. "What's an Old Lady?" She quietly asked.

"A Sons steady partner, she gains respect from the others." Tig watched her as he spoke. Her head down against his shoulder, he wondered what was passing through her mind. He wasn't sure that he was quite ready to be going along those lines, the whole situation seemed surreal to him. Rita merely stayed silent, he was grateful that she didn't continue down that road yet, he had no doubt that it may have been something Gemma or one of the other women had said last night.

"Sorry for not showing up the other night." Rita had half expected a confrontation last night about her absence at the Club party but none came.

To Tigs ears, it sounded strange hearing the apologetic word, it wasn't used regularly around him which reminded Tig that she was different to the others around the club. It did sting when Rita hadn't turned up, he was expecting her and he turned away any invitation that was thrown his way until he ended up retiring for the night alone.

Gemma had spoken to him later the next day telling him about her run in with Rita, and he had to hand it to Gemma, she had kept the conversation polite and extended the invite to the family dinner. Tig knew Gemma wasn't happy about having a couple of outsiders join them and he did owe his friend for helping him out. "Talk to me next time."

"I promise." She whispered the words as if it could set him off, he really didn't act like she thought he would or like any of her past experience with males.

Silence filtered between them again, both comfortable in each other's space. "Shit, what time is it?"

"One." As the word slipped from his mouth, Rita was jumping out of the bed and rushing around the room to find her spread out clothes. "What's the rush?"

"I have a shift at two." He didn't say anything, simply enjoyed the view propping himself up against the pillows and the head broad with a smile on his lips.

Rita's frown automatically turned into a smile as she turned around to find Tig sitting up in bed, he looked quite content with his state. "I'll call you later." She leant forward to give him a quick kiss only to feel his hand rounding the curve of her ass. She smiled against his lips before backing away; she was already running late, playtime later. "Wait, I dont have a car." She heard the groan before the sound of his jeans rustling about.

**::::**

She was in their newly painted kitchen stirring the pasta. Instead of the TV sounding from the lounge, tunes of rock bands drifted through the house while Luke sat in the backyard. "So you and Tig?" Rita jumped at the sound of her brother behind her, almost dropping the wooden spoon. She nodded her head and checked behind Luke to find the bulky Son still sitting out back, she believed his name was Happy. The man was an unusual one with his silent nature and tattooed skin, but his eyes were very much alert like Tig's. "His good for you," Luke said catching her attention again. "I actually catch you humming sometimes like the old days." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Wasn't older brothers meant to be defensive not encouraging? Rita doubted that if Luke knew half the shit she had gotten involved with he wouldn't be saying those words to her.

"You're alright with me being with a biker?" She asked shocked. Luke just nodded his head, his eyes keeping eye contact as he took a sip of his beer. She had never pictured _this_ in her future, neither of them did. She would have thought about a man with a profession along with a tie and slacks as the ideal choice instead of an outlaw with a Harley carrying a gun and leather cut.

"You can look after yourself. _But_ I also know that he would sacrifice himself for you." She wasn't quite sure of Luke's words. Her relationship with Tig was still blurred, she didn't even think an 'Old Lady' got that much, she doubted a normal relationship would either. She turned her back to the pan pondering Lukes words.

She looked up at the feeling of someone watching her. Happy stood leaning against the wall, Luke was no where to be seen but she had a feeling that the Son had heard every word passed between the siblings. Her eyes moved to his hands, an apple in one and a knife in the other. He sliced a piece and brought it to his mouth. She hadn't heard him move. He sliced another piece of the fruit reminding her that she needed to do some shopping. They were eating everything in sight, she swore Juice had worms from the amount he could fit in his stomach.

She had the groceries in hand when she walked through the front door, she was mildly surprised at the other man chatting beside her brother, the white words 'prospect' twinkled at her as the two men painted the hallway a forest green. "Ahh hello?" The 'prospect' jumped at the sound of her voice, she instantly saw the sign of nerves as the young man ran his hand through his dark blond hair.

"Hi, I'm Half Sack." He reached forward before pulling his hand back seeming unsure how to react. Luke snorted behind him making Rita roll her eyes and reach to take his hand.

"Rita."

"I know." She watched a blush creep over his cheeks and she wonder if this man was younger than Juice. "I mean...everyone knows." She raised an eyebrow that only made him more flustered as he went on to explain himself. "You know with Tara then..."She had heard enough and carried on her way with the groceries. "Ill help!" Half Sack shot out of the hallway and soon returned with the rest of the groceries.

She turned to him when he placed them on the counter next to her. "You didn't have to do that."

"Tig would have my other nut if I hadn't. " Rita turned to the bags hoping Half Sack hadn't caught the expression on her face. She was unsure how to feel about having Tig threaten the other man when _she_ wasn't sure where their relationship stood.

Once the groceries were put away she leant against the table and simply watched the two chat, it was surreal to see her brother like this. Yes, she knew he was going out more lately but she never got the chance to see it with her own two eyes and the show in front of her just made it seem _real_. She could remember Tig saying that Half Sack had indeed served in the same country and she could only guess that simple fact made a connection between them. Some part of Rita wished she could have been the one to bring Luke back into the world. She was still delighted that he had even made the progress, maybe, just maybe God was listening to her prayers.

At that moment Juice walked through the door, the usual goofy smile wasn't present as he pocketed the phone, she hoped to God everything was alright but she didn't ask. Gemma's words repeated in her mind- _you need to chose which side your on_ - and Rita wasn't sure if she could take that step forward into world that went beyond the small town of Charming.

**::::**

A dead weight, that's how she felt as Rita unlocked the door to the house and dropped her hand bag onto the table and slowly made her way to bed. The silence of the house was ringing in her ears, tears clinging to her eye lashes as she tried to hold it together. She knew, everyone knew the inevitable ending for the boy but those couple of days she spent with him had made her hopeful. But that hopefulness was crushed when someone came to her with the news.

She was let off early and hadn't bothered calling anyone; she simply got in her car and drove home feeling the numbness seep in. She hadn't thought that she wasn't meant to be traveling alone with her own situation, but as she sat quietly she didn't want a Son for protection but company. She pulled her phone from her work pants and automatically dialed the familiar number. "Hey Doll."

"Tig." He must of heard something in her voice, she didn't quite know as her thoughts were only directed in one place.

"What's happened?"

"Can you come over?" She hated how pathetic she sounded even to her own ears.

"I'll be at the hospital soon."

"I'm at home." There was silence on the other end. He knew every well that Rita had been at the hospital, he was the one to drop her off that morning to begin with.

"Be there in a few." The sound of the phone beeping in her ears signaled that he had hung up. She snapped the phone shut and rolled onto the side of her bed, not bothering with her clothes or shoes.

She wasn't sure how long it had been but she was positive that Tig must have broke numerous laws as the sound of the motorbike came up her driveway. She listened to the thump of the door as it was thrown open, "Rita?!" She heard him call out as his heavy footsteps sounded against the floor broads. "Rita!?"

Next, her bedroom door to flew open, with gun in hand and his icy blue eyes trained on her. "Jesus Christ woman, why didn't you answer me!?"

"Tig," the sound of his name coming so softly from her lips stopped his rant, making his stomach drop as he took in her state.

"Hey, it's alright." He said softly as he moved forward, pushing the frazzled stands of hair from her face. "Are you alone?" Tig watched her eyes for any sign of panic and didn't receive any frantic response, he did notice they looked watery making his head spin at what could have happened at the hospital. "Hang on."

Rita almost reached for him when he got up from the side of the bed to her doorway, she could hear him quietly talking to someone in the lounge and realised that he probably brought another Son with him. She closed her eyes to try to pull herself back together before Tig came back into the room.

The dip of the bed alerted her that time was up. There were no words spoken as Tig took the spot beside her on the bed, gently pulling her into his body. He didn't quite know what to do in this situation so he stuck with holding her close hoping that she would open up and tell him what was happening inside of that head of hers.

"The boy at the hospital, I cared for him a few weeks back." She took a shaky breath in as she tried not to remember the look of agony on the parent's faces and the weeping cries from the mother. "He passed away this morning."

As Tig listened to Rita take slow breaths, he tried to picture what it would be like to lose his own daughters. He couldn't bring up a clear picture or even imagine what it would feel like because he would forever do everything in his power to keep them from harms way; it wasn't an option to think of them in the same category as death.

They must have fallen asleep as Tig woke up with the sun shining brightly in his eyes making him squint at the open curtains. He glanced down at the woman beside him, stains of makeup were smudged on her face but it was stress free compared to the sight he had walked in on yesterday afternoon. He managed to get out of bed and pull the blanket over her, closing the curtains on the way out before making his way to the bathroom.

It wasn't until he was standing in front of the pan with a spatula in hand that he stopped to actually realise _what_ he was doing. He hadn't even thought about it, he had done it a few times for Gemma when the woman had one of her fall outs with Clay and needed a break, or the couple of times when his daughters had been upset as children. He looked down at the substance with unease; he was making bloody pancakes for a woman, a woman that he happened to be sleeping with.


	6. Complex

**~ Complex ~**

This wasn't the first death that had happened around her, it was a part of the job though it never made it any easier. The death of someone so young is always difficult. Just to think that a child at the start of their life with so much to see and learn would never get those opportunities was heartbreaking. They were barely given a chance to feel and taste the world around them. It made Rita appreciate her life, the good and the bad, from the foster homes to her Grams baking, the smell of apple pies filling the house. It was times like these that Rita turned to God.

Rita didn't kneel as she usually would but sat on the pews staring at the cross in front of her on the wall. She was waiting for that sense of ease that she always felt when coming to a place of God but it never came, and slowly the feeling of panic started to fill her. It didn't make sense to her, the knowledge that she had God, someone with her during hard times always made her feel at peace. Sitting the on the pew, she wanted to be somewhere else, back in her house with the smell of pancakes and coffee along with strong arms wrapped around her. Rita's fingers itched to pull out her phone; but she refused to simply grow into the habit of relying on him though she was almost positive that she had already passed that line. Instead of dwelling on those thoughts or questioning herself about God, Rita got up from the pew and quickly made her way out of the hospital chapel. She decided to start work early, and dismiss the rest of her lunch break.

Surprisingly Rita was let off work half an hour early; she didn't hesitate getting into her car and driving directly to the Teller - Morrow Garage. Luke had been spending the last couple of weeks there working every day. She couldn't express how thankful Rita felt towards Clay in allowing her brother to join the garage, it gave Luke something to do rather than sit at home on their couch.

This morning, Luke's Ute had decided to die on him so they made a quick call to the office. Gemma had arranged for the tow truck to come get his vehicle and take him to work, so Rita decided to swing by and see if her brother needed a lift home. Not to mention it also gave her a chance to see Tig.

She pulled into the Teller-Morrow lot and the place seemed empty even with the bikes parked on the opposite side; however she could make out her brother leaning over the hood of a car. She quietly made her way over, wanting to catch him by surprise. "Don't even think about it," her eyebrows shot up in the air as Luke turned towards her with a smirk across his face. "Your car sounds like a broken down truck."

Rita leaned against the car, crossing her arms, "At least _my_ car gets me from point A to point B." It was her turn to smirk as Luke mumbled under his breath about this morning events. "Where is everyone?" She asked looking around the garage seeing just one other man working on the cars, and she was pretty sure he wasn't a Son.

"They have church," Luke said continuing to work on the car.

"Church?" Rita questioned Luke. The Sons didn't seem like the bible type if she went by anything Tig had said to her .

"They're having a _meeting_," Luke said as his eyes flickered up to Rita, he loved getting her panties in a twist. He turned back to the engine in front of him before a thought actually hit him. "Did you come here alone?" The silence that lingered between them answered his question. "I thought we agreed with Clay that you're to have an escort until things got cleared up."

Rita automatically went on defense mood at the tone of her brother's voice. "Nothing's happened for _weeks_ Luke."

Luke stood up from under the hood, his focus on his sister, he wasn't about to let her get hurt. He watched the Sons file out of the club, Rita unaware of the blue eyed Son that was striding over to them. "That doesn't mean something couldn't happen," Luke told her softly.

"She's fucking testing her luck," the hard edge in Tig's voice stopped Rita from responding to her brother. Her body tensed up as she knew he was far from happy. They had spoken only last week about her leaving the hospital by herself, there wasn't meant to be a repeat of it.

Luke glanced between the couple; Rita looked like a deer in the headlights while Tig seemed to be reining in his anger. He knew the Son wouldn't hurt his sister but she deserved to get her ass chewed out. If anyone could get some sense into her it was the sergeant in arms. "She's all yours," Luke said as he leaned back under the hood letting Tig handle the situation.

Rita wasn't given a chance to comment as Tig grabbed her by the elbow and took her around to the side of the garage so they were away from the eyes of the club, giving the two some privacy. She found her back pressed against the cold bricks looking up at him, his hands of either side of her head breathing heavily through his nose. "I thought we discussed this, you stay at the hospital unless there's a Son. There are constant witnesses and camera footage at the hospital. I don't _care_ if the damn place is on fire; _you_ keep your ass at the hospital because as soon as you get into your car, you become exposed." His icy blue eyes stared back at her. "Is that understood?"

"I don't like you telling me what I can and can't do," she said. The hard line of his mouth showed his dislike of her words.

_"You_ made a promise to the club about this." Tig knew it was dirty using her promise against her, but if it meant keeping the woman out of harm's way, then he would use it.

"And I'll make sure not to break that promise from here on," She said as she bit her tongue to stop the words that wanted to flow from her mouth. She absolutely hated feeling like she had no control. Then again, Tig seemed hell bent on this. It reminded her that she was still left in the dark about whoever was making these threats against her life, and Tig no doubt knew every detail.

**::::**

Rita stared at her reflection in the mirror. She wasn't sure whether the look was alright or if she should change it up a bit from the usual blue jeans and gray tank top with the brown ankle boots. Her hair was straight and she had put on some light makeup giving her a natural look. She had put more effort into her appearance than she normally would, believe it or not. Before she could change anything about her appearance, Rita pocketed her ID and phone, grabbed the keys off the table, and headed for her car. The prospect, Half Sack was sitting on his bike when she came outside; she gave him a small smile and got into her car, hearing the motorbike start up as she turned her keys in the ignition.

She didn't quite know where to park her car with all of the bikes and people around, so she took a spot close near the gates out of the way. She spotted her brother's Ute further down only confirming what she already knew; he had been here most of the day so it only seemed right that he would be present for the Friday night party.

From this angle she could take in the party, there was a fairly large crowd circling something in the back corner that she couldn't quite make out, the people were rowdy with fists and excitement. They had a couple of drums fired up with wood and the music from inside came through speakers to the outside, the place was alive.

She caught sight of some women, their bare skin glittering from the light of the fires and again she couldn't help but see the sharp contrast between herself and them. For better word she seemed liked the Virgin Mary and asked herself _what_ she was doing exactly at this scene. Her thoughts went to the man in question, Tig. She didn't quite understand the importance of such an outing but the reaction of Gemma and the clear emotion that she spotted briefly on Tig's face was enough to drag her ass over.

She put her arms through her denim jacket and made her way towards the party. Once she reached the first drum, Rita wasn't quite sure what her next game move should be as she held her hands to the flame.

"He's in the ring," a man shouted from beside her with a small pot belly and fuzzy hair. She wasn't sure if she had meet the man but positive that she wouldn't have forgotten his appearance, unique like the rest of them.

"The what?" She wasn't quite sure what he was referring too.

"The boxing ring in the corner," he said as he nodded his head towards the crowd. She could just make out two body masses inside from their distance in between the shouting people. She had never seen anything quite like it, she didn't understand what was happening. Why would they be punching one another?

Without Rita knowing what she was doing, she started walking towards the boxing ring. Her eyes trained on Tig, the strong force in his arms as each muscle moved and eyes focused on the man in front of him. The man, she wasn't sure who he was but the tattoo on his back was enough to tell her he was a Son. Unfortunately her eyes didn't stop at the reaper but moved around to the front of his toned chest that was covered inch to inch with markings. She could just make out the small smiley faces and frowned, she didn't understand the meaning to them, and the man seemed quite the opposite with the hard lines carved in his faces.

She almost jumped in surprised as the man went to land a punch at Tig though he managed to block it, it didn't stop her heart from jumping into her throat. It only took a second for Tig to react and start to use his own fists. The raw power in each strike made Rita shiver; she wasn't sure whether it was the thrill or fear at seeing this new side of Tig. Sure, she wasn't silly enough to think that he was harmless, but she had never seen him in action.

Just as quickly as the two men started they finished with grins on their faces, stepping outside the ring, going to the bench to pat themselves down with the towels. She kept her eyes on Tig watching his naked flesh flex while trying to pin point the roller coaster of emotions that she felt about being exposed to another side of Tig. "I haven't seen you around before." The snide comment came from the redhead woman beside her, she was full of confidence yet it was nothing similar to Gemma's. Rita kept her eyes focused on Tig hoping the woman would get the message that she didn't want a conversation, though her grandma would be cursing at her for being rude, the woman rubbed off bad vibes that were setting Rita's teeth on edge. "A newbie wouldn't stand a chance with him, too far up the ladder for you sweetheart."

Rita stood with her arms crossed waiting for the woman to move away only to see her about to open her mouth again but Rita beat her to the chase. "Look, you don't know shit about me." Rita took pleasure in seeing the slight surprise in the woman eyes. "So don't start telling me who I can and can't have _sweetheart_."

"I'll let that comment slide because you're new, but listen her-" The woman's sentence was cut off by the arm going around Rita's shoulders. She actually enjoyed watching the multiple expressions flicker across the red heads face.

"Is there a problem here?" At the sound of Tig's voice, the smell of sweat and leather reached her nose; Rita had to hold herself back from smiling.

"Nothing I can't help you with." The dramatic change in the woman's voice made Rita's eyebrows shoot up. The woman had shifted her energy to Tig and somehow switched the question to an offer in Tig's hands.

"Got what I need right here," Tig said with a smirk. To emphasis his point, Tig brought Rita closer to his side. He knew exactly what the croweater was doing, if it was any other woman on his arm, he might have encouraged the exchange of words but he liked the one in his arms at the moment. That train of thought rattled him more than he wished to think upon.

The croweater finally left getting the hint, letting Tig turn his attention to the woman beside him. "My pussy has claws." He said enjoying seeing the shocked that crossed her face at the name as he started to lead her towards the club doors with a smile tugging at his lips. "Let's get ourselves some drinks doll."

Rita had been in the club house a couple of times and like the first time her noise scrunched up at the feral smell, but she could hardly concentrate on the scent as the club seemed to be littered with bodies making it somewhat harder to get through the crowd. This was like the rumors she had heard back at work about the SAMCRO parties, but there still seemed to be too many people; she noticed there is more black cuts in the sea of people."It's really crowded here."

Tig's eyes flickered to Rita's face at her comment, the uncomfortable expression reminded him that they had spent the last month together at her house and the club was still new to her. "There's guests from another Charter here." Which meant Tig would have to keep a closer eye on her to make sure another Son didn't try to scoop her up.

Once they got to the bar he tapped his knuckles on the wooden surface to get the prospects attention from the croweater. "Two beers prospect." He wasn't quite sure about the prospect's name, he was from the other Charter but Tig would be surprised if the younger man made it through to patching in as he seemed skittish with the simplest of things.

Tig handed a bottle to Rita; he didn't miss the hesitation as she grabbed the bottle while Tig wrapped his fingers around the other and made their way towards the pool table where he could see Chibs. If there was one Son he could trust tonight it was Chibs. The man constantly pulled his leg about the woman but he wouldn't try anything and he'd be another set of eyes, not to mention someone familiar to Rita.

Tig pulled a chair up near the pool table, the action catching the man's attention. "And look who it is! Good to see you again lass." Chibs patted Tig on the shoulder but his eyes stayed on Opie as the younger man took a shot on the pool table.

Rita tried to ignore the fact that she was practically sitting on Tig's lap, her eyes trained on Chibs and Opie around the pool table. "Who's winning?" She didn't quite understand who was what in the game as it looked like they were shooting random balls into whatever hole.

"I am." The Scottish accent was thicker, frustration clearly showing in his tone as Chibs held the stick.

Tig leaned forward to her ear and whispered, "His losing, _badly_." He started to nibble on her ear lobe, his hands squeezing her hips as she reacted, leaning back against him.

"Tig," Gemma's voice put a stop to their foreplay. "Clay's looking for you outside." When Gemma didn't see the sergeant at arms make a move, she rolled her eyes and added, "I'll stay here until you get back." Tig finally removed himself from the seat and threw Gemma a smile of thanks before making his way outside.

The older woman glanced down the length of Rita. "You clean up nice once you get out of those scrubs, you should do it more often." Rita wasn't sure whether to take the comment as a compliment or insult. "Tiggy's practically glowing with you by his side."

"From the looks of things he isn't low on offers." Rita's eyes went to the women on the other side of the pool table; if looks could kill she would be eight feet under.

Any other woman Gemma might have discouraged them further, tested the waters more but Tig was in a good place at the moment and it had to do with the woman standing beside her. Her best interest was for her to bring her in close. "Don't worry about any of the pussy over there." Rita's eyebrows rose at the woman's blunt language but Gemma continued without faltering. "Look, he'd have my ass if I said anything but he hasn't touched a single one of them since he took you under his wing."

Rita wasn't sure if she believed Gemma, the woman hadn't been the most caring towards her, but as she stopped and thought back to earlier with the croweater outside, he hadn't acted interested in the slightest. She didn't have to worry about responding to the woman as Tig had worked his way back over, his arm going around her waist. "You ready to get out of here?" She nodded her head in response. "Alright, I just got to get something from my room." Rita half excepted Tig to leave her in the company of Gemma but he towed her behind him as they made their way for the corridor.

She could remember her first visit, coming this way for the bathroom but she was unaware that they had rooms here. It sparked her interest to find out where he spent most of his time, his house hardly showed any insight on him, maybe his room at the club house would show her more of the man that was filling her time.

There was no doubt that it was a male's room. The couple of half naked woman on his walls along with the reaper poster set the scene. There was a double bed in the center of the room, the sheets black like the ones at his house and there were a few shirts on the ground but the room seemed tidy with another door that she guessed led to a bathroom. Her eyes went to the top of his cluttered bedside table, the ash tray was filled with cigarettes and a pair of black sun glasses lay next to it, however it was the blade next to the lamp that caught her attention.

Tig came out from the bathroom his gaze going to the woman still standing near his closed door. He leaned against the bathroom doorway and simply watched her, her eyes flickering to every surface in his room until they stilled near his bed. He followed her line of sight to the thick blade on the bed side table before looking back over at her. Tig wasn't about to remove the blade from its spot, whether she liked it or not it was a part of the club, a part of him. There wasn't a hint of fear that passed over her expression, curiosity maybe but he wasn't quite sure. "I think I've had a change of plans." He walked over to her, her eyes now on him as he pulled her against his body. He plan was to head back to her place for the night but he figured here was as good as any. The woman was tense against his body as one of his hands held her hip, the other cradling the side of her neck. He leaned forward towards her lips, his eyes locked onto her green ones seeing every flicker of emotion, and he knew without a doubt that he would do _anything_ for this woman.

Rita knew she probably looked ridiculous with the fat grin across her face but she couldn't hold it back as Tig led them through to the parking lot, even the state of the club house couldn't dampen her mood this morning with Tig's hand entwined with hers. They parted ways, as Rita walked over to her car while Tig headed for his bike to take her home.

She pulled into the drive, Tig parking up alongside her. She flashed him a smile and started down her drive way to the mail box, she could see the letters poking out of it and couldn't remember the last time she had checked the damn thing. Grabbing the letters out, she started going through them, brushing aside the bills to open for last until she reach one that had her name, _Rita Mathews_, scribbled across it without an address. She flipped it over and saw no return address; she felt the letter and could tell there was some kind of gift in there. She opened it while making her way past her car. She pulled the letter out and checked inside the envelope for the gift, her heart instantly went into over drive at the familiar object, her high from this morning instantly leaving her. She swallowed the lump in her throat leaving the item in the envelope to flip open the letter. _Next is the finger,_ was scribbled in the center of the page.

Tig lit his cigarette and looked over his shoulder to see what was taking Rita so long. She stood next the car with her mail in her hands; his stomach dropped when he saw the color of her face, instead of the blossom pink on her cheeks from their morning activities, her face was a sheet of white. He moved from the front door and in a couple of long strides he was standing in front of her, the piece paper in her hands shaking while her eyes seemed distant. "Rita, babe, what is it?" She silently handed him the letter, his eyes reading the words while his mind went into overdrive for the next course of action. For all he knew, these guys could be watching them right now which meant it would be better to act with indifference until they got behind closed doors. He wouldn't let the fuckers have the satisfaction of seeing either of them weak. "Calmly, I want you to unlock your door and get inside." Again, she didn't answer him but nodded her head, handing him the envelope as well.

He watched her slowly make her way up the rest of the drive way and unlock her door, doing exactly what he had told her. Knowing that she was safely inside, he took a look into the envelope to see a bulky silver ring, it was a Celtic knots with an inscription on the inside that gave away who owned it - _May God be with you dear brother_.

Following his own advice Tig causally made his way into the house while his whole body felt tense, waiting for some kind of fight. He knew that Rita would take this hard. When he walked into the lounge he expected to see her sitting on the couch in a mess of tears. Instead he was greeted by a woman pacing the length of the room, anger clearly evident on her face and for a moment he could have mistaken her for Gemma with the raw power of her appearance. It was the harsh words that left her mouth that shocked him to the core. "I want those bastards to pay Tig." Rita's words weren't yelled or thrown at him but oddly calm. "They shouldn't have dragged _him_ into this."

She continued to pace, determination settled on her face. Tig's next words were a promise to her, he would deal with these guys personally and as far as he was concerned, this shit had long ago passed its expiration date. "I swear I'll make them wish they never set foot in Charming."

**AN: **Comments and reviews are always welcomed :)


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